Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 36,905 Shares of Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,580,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 36,905 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $485,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. One Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Cintas by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 6,160 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 1,288 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 4,381 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $824,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 2.8% during the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 2,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of Cintas stock opened at $173.65 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $69.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Cintas Corporation has a 12-month low of $161.16 and a 12-month high of $227.17. The business’s 50 day moving average is $172.69 and its 200-day moving average is $184.42.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. Cintas had a net margin of 17.57% and a return on equity of 41.47%. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Cintas Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 50.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.87, for a total transaction of $834,607.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,015,273.76. This trade represents a 17.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Cintas from $222.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cintas from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Cintas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $215.17.

Cintas Company Profile

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.