Nordea Investment Management AB Sells 5,070 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Nordea Investment Management AB lessened its stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,389,649 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,070 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.59% of Cintas worth $437,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,458,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Cintas by 83.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 5,206 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,017 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Cintas by 137.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $457,574,000 after buying an additional 1,286,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cintas by 301.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 503,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $103,665,000 after buying an additional 378,101 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Trading Up 2.1 %

NASDAQ CTAS opened at $185.85 on Monday. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $143.64 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $209.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $74.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.37.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 39.56% and a net margin of 16.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.61 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on CTAS shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 20th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Cintas from $730.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.46.

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.