Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) – William Blair reduced their Q4 2017 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Cintas in a note issued to investors on Thursday, according to Zacks Investment Research. William Blair analyst T. Mulrooney now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $1.07 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.15. William Blair has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. William Blair also issued estimates for Cintas’ FY2018 earnings at $4.64 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $5.50 EPS.
Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.04. The company earned $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 24.80% and a net margin of 10.37%. Cintas’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.05 EPS. COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: “Cintas Co. (CTAS) to Post Q4 2017 Earnings of $1.07 Per Share, William Blair Forecasts” was reported by Transcript Daily and is the sole property of of Transcript Daily. If you are viewing this story on another site, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of U.S. and international trademark & copyright laws. The legal version of this story can be read at https://transcriptdaily.com/2017/04/22/cintas-co-ctas-to-post-q4-2017-earnings-of-1-07-per-share-william-blair-forecasts.html.
Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Jaffray Companies upped their target price on Cintas from $117.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. Deutsche Bank AG upped their target price on Cintas from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Cintas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $128.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Cintas in a report on Tuesday, December 27th. Finally, Barclays PLC upped their target price on Cintas from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.20.
In other news, VP Thomas E. Frooman sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.23, for a total transaction of $1,463,145.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 74,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,474,309.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO J. Michael Hansen sold 5,477 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.72, for a total value of $688,568.44. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,974 shares in the company, valued at $5,151,251.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,007 shares of company stock worth $2,644,421. Insiders own 19.10% of the company’s stock.
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Nationwide Fund Advisors increased its position in Cintas by 5.0% in the first quarter. Nationwide Fund Advisors now owns 59,942 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,585,000 after buying an additional 2,859 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its position in Cintas by 14.5% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 9,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,262,000 after buying an additional 1,266 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Cintas during the first quarter valued at about $266,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Cintas by 1.4% in the first quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,086 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 0.9% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 53,676 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,792,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. 66.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Cintas Company Profile
Cintas Corporation is a provider of corporate identity uniforms through rental and sales programs, as well as a provider of related business services, including entrance mats, restroom cleaning services and supplies, carpet and tile cleaning services, first aid and safety services and fire protection products and services.
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