Cintas Corporation
Q4 2026 Earnings
Market Reaction
S&P 500 over the same 30 days: +2.85%.
Did CTAS Beat Earnings? Q4 2026 Results
Cintas Corporation delivered a clean beat across the board in fiscal Q4 2026, posting adjusted diluted EPS of $1.29 against the $1.23 consensus estimate, a 4.79% beat that extends the uniform services giant's streak to five consecutive quarters of topping EPS expectations. Revenue climbed 8.9% year over year to $2.91 billion, edging past the $2.87 billion consensus by 1.13%, as organic growth of 8.4% and broad segment strength gave the results genuine underlying momentum. The quarter's standout driver was margin execution, with total gross margin reaching 51.0%, up 130 basis points from the prior-year period, even as the company absorbed $14.02 million in transaction costs tied to its pending UniFirst acquisition. Operating income grew 12.7% to $673.03 million despite those deal-related charges. With UniFirst shareholders having approved the transaction and an FTC second request already anticipated by management, Cintas guided fiscal 2027 revenue of $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion and adjusted EPS of $5.36 to $5.50, reflecting confidence in continued organic momentum as the integration process advances.
- 8.4% organic revenue growth in Q4, 8.3% for the full year
- All-time high gross margin of 51.0% in Q4 and 50.7% for the full year
- Investments in technology, capacity, and talent driving margin expansion
- Strong performance in First Aid and Safety Services with 13.5% Q4 revenue growth
- Lower effective tax rate of 21.2% vs 22.1% in prior-year Q4
“These results conclude an outstanding year for Cintas. We delivered record revenues and operating margins. Our 8.3% organic revenue growth demonstrates our ability to deliver strong results in a dynamic macro environment. Our all-time high gross margin reflects the outstanding performance of our employee-partners and the clear impact of our investments in technology, capacity and talent. These results continue to showcase the strength and resilience of Cintas' value proposition.”
Cintas CEO, on the earnings call
Forward Guidance & Outlook
For fiscal 2027, Cintas expects revenue in the range of $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion, representing growth of 7.4% to 8.7% over fiscal 2026. Adjusted diluted EPS is expected to be $5.36 to $5.50, representing growth of 8.5% to 11.3%. Guidance excludes impacts from the proposed UniFirst acquisition and assumes constant foreign currency exchange rates and no future acquisitions. Fiscal 2027 has one more workday than fiscal 2026. Interest expense net of interest income is expected to be approximately $105.0 million, and the effective tax rate is expected to be 20.2%.
CTAS YoY Financials
CTAS Revenue by Segment
Figures from SEC filings and company reports. Not investment advice.