Cintas Q1 2027: Six Straight Beats and Raised Guidance Before UniFirst Closes
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on September 23, 2026.
Cintas beat estimates for a sixth straight quarter and raised full-year fiscal 2027 guidance to $5.45 to $5.54 in adjusted EPS, all before the pending UniFirst deal adds a dollar of revenue. The FTC review is the only thing standing between this run and a bigger uniform rental franchise.
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Cintas reported adjusted diluted EPS of $1.39 for its fiscal first quarter of 2027, beating expectations, with revenue also topping estimates. That makes six consecutive quarters of topping Wall Street expectations, a streak that has become something of a baseline for this company rather than a surprise.
The outperformance was broad-based across segments. Uniform Rental and Facility Services, the core of the business, grew 9.7%, and First Aid and Safety Services was the standout. Margins expanded as well, reflecting the company's ongoing investments in technology, capacity, and talent that CEO Todd Schneider cited as key to the results.
Free cash flow nearly doubled, rising 48.7%, giving Cintas substantial firepower heading into a transformative period. The company also returned capital aggressively through quarterly dividends and share repurchases, while absorbing non-recurring expenses tied to the pending UniFirst acquisition.
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Encouraged by the momentum, management raised full-year fiscal 2027 guidance on both lines, lifting adjusted diluted EPS guidance to a range representing growth of 10.3% to 12.1% over fiscal 2026. That updated guide still excludes any contribution from the UniFirst deal.
The one variable investors are watching is the Federal Trade Commission review of the UniFirst acquisition. Schneider said the company continues to engage with the FTC and expects the transaction to close before the end of calendar 2026. Until that review concludes, the raised guidance reflects only Cintas's existing business, meaning a successful close would represent additional upside not yet priced into the company's own projections.
Mentioned: CTAS