Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $1.90 Million Stock Position in Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 89.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,238 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,373 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $1,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 2.7% in the third quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 99,876 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Cintas by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 413,665 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $84,909,000 after purchasing an additional 10,249 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Cintas by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,948,620 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,994,594,000 after purchasing an additional 564,487 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 197.4% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,858,000 after buying an additional 6,202 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Cintas by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 150,809 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,955,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cintas News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cintas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cintas agreed to acquire UniFirst for $310 per share in a deal valuing the target at roughly $5.5B; management projects roughly $375M of annual cost synergies as the companies combine routes, facilities and purchasing power — a clear long‑term earnings/scale rationale. Cintas to Acquire UniFirst in $5.5 Billion Transaction
• Positive Sentiment: Large UniFirst shareholders and activists have signaled support for a sale, and Engine Capital publicly called the deal the right transaction — reducing activist/closing risk and improving odds the merger completes. Engine Capital Issues Statement Regarding Sale
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is rising: Robert W. Baird upgraded CTAS to outperform with a $250 price target and Truist issued a buy — both signal confidence the deal and Cintas’s growth story justify higher multiples (positive for sentiment and investor demand).
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors have access to granular M&A detail — a Seeking Alpha transcript of the M&A call is available for those modeling timing, integration assumptions and regulatory commentary. Cintas Corporation M&A Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings-season attention remains a background catalyst (investors will weigh the deal impact against Cintas’s organic execution and FY26 guidance). See the earnings event page for dates and estimates. Will Cintas (CTAS) beat quarterly earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into UniFirst’s board over whether the sale provided fair value to UNF shareholders — potential litigation or proxy conflict could slow closing or change terms. SHAREHOLDER NOTICE: Brodsky & Smith Announces an Investigation of UniFirst
• Negative Sentiment: Short-interest data show elevated short positions as of late February (~8.19M shares; ~2.4% of float, ~4.8 days to cover), which raises the risk of bearish pressure or volatility while the deal and integration risks are digested.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was mixed on the announcement (UniFirst shares jumped; Cintas initially dipped on the cash/stock mix and near-term execution costs), underscoring short-term skepticism even if long-term synergies are credible. Cintas (CTAS) Closes $5.5B Acquisition of Uniform Rival UniFirst (UNF)

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $198.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Cintas Corporation has a twelve month low of $180.39 and a twelve month high of $229.24. The company has a fifty day moving average of $194.87 and a 200-day moving average of $193.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.95.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.77 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.58% and a return on equity of 41.07%. Cintas’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.810-4.880 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cintas Corporation will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is 52.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Cintas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America began coverage on Cintas in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $206.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and set a $181.00 price target (up from $176.00) on shares of Cintas in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.25.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is a provider of business services and products focused on workplace appearance, safety and facility maintenance. The company is best known for its uniform rental and corporate apparel programs, which include rental, leasing and direct-purchase options, laundering and garment repair. Cintas markets its services to a wide range of end-users, including manufacturing, food service, healthcare, hospitality, retail and government customers.

Beyond uniforms, Cintas offers a suite of facility services and products designed to help organizations maintain clean, safe and compliant workplaces.