Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $8.73 Million Holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 47,800 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Cintas were worth $8,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 209.7% in the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Cintas by 295.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,336,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Cintas during the 3rd quarter worth about $537,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in Cintas by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of CTAS stock opened at $205.40 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $198.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.36. Cintas Co. has a twelve month low of $150.70 and a twelve month high of $228.12. 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 company has a market capitalization of $82.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.52, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.61 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on CTAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cintas has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.46.

About Cintas

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.