Auour Investments LLC Grows Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Auour Investments LLC increased its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,515 shares during the quarter. Auour Investments LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CTAS. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 311.1% in the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 37 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its position in Cintas by 341.4% in the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 128 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cintas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cintas during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 1,340.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 144 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CTAS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Cintas from $730.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Cintas from $184.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Cintas from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Cintas from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $199.63.

Cintas Price Performance

Cintas stock opened at $207.56 on Tuesday. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $128.92 and a 52-week high of $215.37. The company has a market cap of $83.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.41, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $217.93 and its 200 day moving average is $192.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.39%.

Cintas announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 23rd that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.