Short Interest in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) Rises By 17.8%

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,192,237 shares, a growth of 17.8% from the February 12th total of 6,953,921 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,701,891 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.8 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,701,891 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cintas

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 178,286 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,709,000 after acquiring an additional 21,499 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,674 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Cintas by 79.9% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 484 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Cintas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Tobam increased its position in Cintas by 21,826.1% during the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 5,043 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 5,020 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Price Performance

Cintas stock traded down $1.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $192.74. 1,732,796 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,961,496. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Cintas has a twelve month low of $180.39 and a twelve month high of $229.24. The company has a market cap of $77.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $195.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.20.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.01. Cintas had a net margin of 17.58% and a return on equity of 41.07%. The company had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.810-4.880 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Cintas will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 52.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Cintas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Cintas from a “cautious” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $205.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cintas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.