76,905 Shares in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Acquired by Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 76,905 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $14,051,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Cintas by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Cintas by 121.8% in the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Cintas by 211.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 778,884 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $160,357,000 after acquiring an additional 529,005 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Cintas by 137.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $457,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Cintas by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Performance

Shares of CTAS opened at $192.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s fifty day moving average is $199.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.24. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $154.83 and a 1 year high of $228.12.

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

Cintas Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a report on Monday, February 24th. They set a “sell” rating and a $161.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.79.

Cintas Company 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.