Financial Counselors Inc. Buys 49,863 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Financial Counselors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 245.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,863 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $14,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CTAS. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Cintas by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,081,000 after acquiring an additional 4,340 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Cintas during the 1st quarter valued at $37,658,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in Cintas by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 5,680 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,903,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Cintas by 141.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 25,498 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,518,000 after acquiring an additional 14,930 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cintas by 185.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 8,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,170,000 after acquiring an additional 5,830 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $224.05 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $212.33 and its 200 day moving average is $198.50. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $136.87 and a 1 year high of $228.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The business services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 39.56% and a net margin of 16.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.70 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Cintas Co. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Cintas from $730.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Barclays upped their target price on Cintas from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cintas from $184.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Cintas from $219.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.63.

About Cintas

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.