Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd Has $3.83 Million Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 70.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,978 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,650 shares during the period. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Cintas were worth $3,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in Cintas by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter worth about $53,902,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co now owns 2,904 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 143,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,291,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ CTAS opened at $204.31 on Thursday. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $154.15 and a 1 year high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $82.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.26, a PEG ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $196.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $208.59.

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

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CTAS shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday. They set a “sell” rating and a $161.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cintas presently 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.