Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,192,237 shares, a growth of 17.8% from the February 12th total of 6,953,921 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,701,891 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,701,891 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus raised Cintas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Cintas from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Cintas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cintas in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.25.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $192.85. The stock had a trading volume of 872,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,951,043. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.95. Cintas has a 52 week low of $180.39 and a 52 week high of $229.24.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.77 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.58% and a return on equity of 41.07%. Cintas’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.810-4.880 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cintas will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Cintas’s payout ratio is presently 52.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CTAS. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new position in Cintas in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Cintas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Camelot Portfolios LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cintas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

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.