Plato Investment Management Ltd Trims Stake in Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Plato Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 48.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,838 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Cintas were worth $1,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Cintas by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,859,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,781,223,000 after buying an additional 491,307 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cintas during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,877,760,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Cintas by 0.7% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,095,506 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $841,749,000 after purchasing an additional 28,469 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Cintas by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,655,835 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $667,919,000 after purchasing an additional 115,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Cintas by 2.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,877,309 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $591,373,000 after purchasing an additional 59,162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on CTAS. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Cintas from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Cintas from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Cintas from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $196.00 to $221.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Cintas from $233.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cintas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.54.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $201.40 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $81.16 billion, a PE ratio of 45.67, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average is $216.65 and its 200 day moving average is $212.81. Cintas Corporation has a 52 week low of $180.78 and a 52 week high of $229.24.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.53% and a return on equity of 41.21%. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.99 earnings per share. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.710-4.85 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Cintas Corporation will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from Cintas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Cintas’s payout ratio is presently 40.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cintas

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 5,084 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.47, for a total value of $1,136,121.48. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,904,049.15. The trade was a 18.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Todd M. Schneider sold 17,301 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.90, for a total transaction of $3,821,790.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 622,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $137,557,080.80. The trade was a 2.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 15.00% of the company’s stock.

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.