HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Acquires 6,202 Shares of Cintas Corporation $CTAS

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 197.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,202 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $1,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. OFI Invest Asset Management increased its position in Cintas by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 583 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 35,158 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,217,000 after purchasing an additional 13,120 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Cintas by 7.8% during the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,687 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Lake Hills Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 5.2% in the third quarter. Lake Hills Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $855,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fluent Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Cintas in the third quarter worth about $811,000. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CTAS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Cintas from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Cintas from $246.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $205.00 target price on Cintas and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Rothschild Redb raised Cintas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $181.00 price target (up previously from $176.00) on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.00.

Cintas Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $190.66 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Cintas Corporation has a 1 year low of $180.39 and a 1 year high of $229.24. The company has a market cap of $76.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.59, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $186.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.73.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 52.48%.

Cintas announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Cintas News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cintas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large operational upside — analysts and Cintas management point to substantial route‑density savings (MarketBeat cites roughly $375M in annual cost efficiencies) if the businesses are combined, which would be highly accretive over time. Cintas’ $5.2B UniFirst Bid Ignites the Battle for Route Dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Strong, credible offer — the $275/share cash bid represents ~64% premium to UniFirst’s recent trading and signals Cintas is willing to use cash to buy scale and recurring revenue, improving visibility on the deal’s value to CTAS shareholders if closed. Cintas proposes $5.2B cash acquisition of UniFirst
• Neutral Sentiment: Process is underway — UniFirst’s board has engaged independent financial and legal advisors and is formally reviewing the unsolicited proposal; this starts a review period but does not guarantee a deal. UniFirst Corporation Acknowledges Unsolicited Acquisition Proposal from Cintas Corporation
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction is split — UniFirst shares rallied sharply on the cash offer (investors price in a higher takeover value), while Cintas’s stock shows mixed movement as the market weighs deal cost vs. future savings. UniFirst Stock Jumps After Cintas Tables $275-A-Share Buyout Offer
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/earnings context — investors are still digesting recent CTAS results and FY26 guidance; the deal narrative temporarily eclipses routine earnings signals. Cintas Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Material governance hurdle — UniFirst’s controlling Croatti family voting structure can block a sale despite the cash premium, which raises substantial execution risk that could derail the deal or prolong uncertainty. Cintas’ $5.2B UniFirst Bid Ignites the Battle for Route Dominance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism & probability concerns — some analysts (UBS, others) see governance and margin concerns that keep a Hold or doubt UniFirst will accept, which can limit upside for CTAS until the path to closing is clearer. Hold Rating on UniFirst
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and breakup risk — combining two leading providers draws antitrust scrutiny; Cintas included a $350M reverse termination fee, indicating both confidence and the possibility of costly regulatory or deal-failure outcomes. Cintas Isn’t Taking Years of No for an Answer, Makes a Fresh Bid for UniFirst

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.