Cintas Corporation
Q1 2027 Earnings
Excludes $14.4 million ($0.03 per diluted share) of non-recurring UniFirst Corporation transaction expenses
Market Reaction
Did CTAS Beat Earnings? Q1 2027 Results
Cintas Corporation delivered a clean beat across the board in its fiscal first quarter of 2027, extending its streak of topping Wall Street expectations to six consecutive quarters. The uniform services giant reported adjusted diluted EPS of $1.39, edging past the $1.36 consensus by 2.44%, while revenue of $3.01 billion topped estimates of $2.98 billion by 1.23% and grew 10.9% from the year-ago period. The results came despite $14.4 million in non-recurring expenses tied to the pending UniFirst Corporation acquisition, which the company expects to close before year-end pending Federal Trade Commission review. Broad-based segment strength drove the outperformance, with First Aid and Safety Services posting particularly sharp 16.1% revenue growth and gross margin expanding 120 basis points year-over-year to 51.5%. Free cash flow nearly doubled to $464.80 million. Encouraged by the momentum, Cintas raised its full-year fiscal 2027 guidance, now projecting revenue of $12.15 billion to $12.27 billion and adjusted diluted EPS of $5.45 to $5.54, up from its prior outlook on both measures.
- Organic revenue growth of 8.9% driven by value provided to customers
- Gross margin expansion of 120 basis points to 51.5%
- Operating margin expansion to 23.6% from 22.7%
- Ongoing investments in technology, capacity and talent
- First Aid and Safety Services revenue growth of 16.1%
“We are pleased with our start to fiscal 2027. Our employee-partners delivered another strong quarter, producing record revenue and record operating margin. Organic revenue growth of 8.9% and a record gross margin reflect the value we continue to provide our customers and the impact of our ongoing investments in technology, capacity and talent. These results demonstrate the strength of our business model and our ability to help customers operate their facilities in a clean, safe and professional manner.”
Cintas CEO, on the earnings call
Forward Guidance & Outlook
Cintas raised its full fiscal year 2027 guidance. Annual revenue expectations were increased to a range of $12.15 billion to $12.27 billion (from $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion), representing 7.9% to 8.9% growth over fiscal 2026. Adjusted diluted EPS guidance was raised to $5.45–$5.54 (from $5.36–$5.50), representing 10.3% to 12.1% growth. Guidance excludes expected impacts from the proposed UniFirst acquisition and does not assume any future acquisitions. Fiscal 2027 net interest expense is expected to be approximately $103.0 million, and the effective tax rate is expected to be 20.4%. Fiscal 2027 has one more workday than fiscal 2026.
CTAS YoY Financials
CTAS Revenue by Segment
Figures from SEC filings and company reports. Not investment advice.