Marshall Wace LLP Has $64.57 Million Stock Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 15,965.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 353,437 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 351,237 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.09% of Cintas worth $64,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Cintas by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,468,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,544,822,000 after purchasing an additional 219,809 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Cintas by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,118,479 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $935,146,000 after acquiring an additional 296,059 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cintas in the 4th quarter worth about $877,216,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Cintas by 264.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $693,503,000 after acquiring an additional 2,379,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Cintas by 137.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $457,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,668 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total value of $380,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,835,235.36. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total transaction of $1,780,548.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,647,979.84. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 15.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CTAS. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Cintas from $195.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Cintas in a report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $161.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cintas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.62.

Cintas Stock Up 0.5 %

CTAS opened at $205.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Cintas Co. has a one year low of $162.16 and a one year high of $228.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $201.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $204.31.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.08. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 36.11%.

Cintas 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.