Plato Investment Management Ltd Grows Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 33.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,996 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Cintas were worth $2,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CTAS. State Street Corp boosted its position in Cintas by 299.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,996,697,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910,285 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in Cintas by 297.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,807,860,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571,128 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Cintas by 309.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,693,654,000 after purchasing an additional 6,235,052 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Cintas by 264.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $693,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,379,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Cintas by 308.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,522,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $519,419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,926 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of CTAS opened at $207.43 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $197.54 and its 200 day moving average is $209.05. The company has a market capitalization of $83.71 billion, a PE ratio of 50.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $154.15 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Cintas in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.79.

Cintas Profile

Cintas Corporation engages in the provision of corporate identity uniforms and related business services primarily in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Uniform Rental and Facility Services, First Aid and Safety Services, and All Other segments. The company rents and services uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels, and other ancillary items; and provides restroom cleaning services and supplies, as well as sells uniforms.