Values First Advisors Inc. Purchases 73 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,055 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the quarter. Cintas accounts for 1.5% of Values First Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $2,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CTAS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cintas during the 4th quarter valued at about $379,291,000. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 1,344.1% in the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 473,448 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,819,000 after purchasing an additional 440,662 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 850,617 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $422,825,000 after purchasing an additional 292,701 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 8,140.0% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 173,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $73,609,000 after purchasing an additional 170,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,025,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $493,331,000 after purchasing an additional 151,783 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Trading Up 0.2 %

Cintas stock traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $687.03. 572,438 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 371,309. Cintas Co. has a fifty-two week low of $438.59 and a fifty-two week high of $704.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.45, a PEG ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $620.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $567.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 27th. The business services provider reported $3.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.26. Cintas had a net margin of 15.98% and a return on equity of 37.19%. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.14 earnings per share. Cintas’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 15.05 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 37.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CTAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Cintas from $526.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $680.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $673.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $700.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Cintas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $649.60.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation provides 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.