Hancock Whitney Corp Boosts Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 527.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,526 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,805 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Cintas were worth $932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 311.1% during the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 37 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new position in Cintas during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Cintas in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cintas by 226.7% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 49 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cintas by 133.3% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 56 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CTAS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Cintas from $184.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Cintas from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Cintas from $730.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Cintas from $212.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $199.63.

Cintas Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of CTAS stock opened at $226.47 on Wednesday. Cintas Co. has a fifty-two week low of $136.87 and a fifty-two week high of $228.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $211.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.14. The stock has a market cap of $91.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 1.32.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The business services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.10. Cintas had a net margin of 16.80% and a return on equity of 39.56%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.70 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.39%.

Cintas Company Profile

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.