Cintas Q4 2026 Earnings Call: Complete Transcript

Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS ) held its fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday.

Below is the complete transcript from the call.

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For comprehensive financial data and transcripts, visit View the webcast at Summary Cintas Corporation reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2026, with total revenue increasing by 8.9% to $2.91 billion for the quarter and $11.26 billion for the year.

The company achieved a gross margin of 51% in Q4, matching an all-time high, and an operating income increase of 12.7% over the prior year.

Cintas provided a positive outlook for fiscal 2027, expecting revenue between $12.1 billion and $12.25 billion, and adjusted diluted EPS growth of 8.5% to 11.3%.

The company emphasized strategic investments in its business, including technology and acquisitions, and returned significant capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Cintas highlighted growth across its business segments, particularly in first aid and safety services, and continued strong customer retention and pricing levels.

Management expressed confidence in long-term growth opportunities, citing a large addressable market and successful strategic initiatives such as the potential acquisition of UniFirst.

Full Transcript OPERATOR Good day everyone and welcome to the Cintas Corporation announces Fiscal 2026 4th Quarter and Full Year Results Conference Call.

Today's call is being recorded at this time.

I would like to turn the call over to Mr.

Jared Mattingly, Vice President, Treasurer and Investor Relations.

Please go ahead, sir.

Jared Mattingly, Vice President, Treasurer and Investor Relations Thank you, Ross, and thank you for joining us.

With me are Todd Schneider, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Rosakis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Scott Guerula, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

We will discuss our fiscal 2026 fourth quarter results.

After our commentary, we will open the call to questions from analysts.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor from civil litigation for forward-looking statements.

This conference call contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current views as to future events and financial performance.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those we may discuss.

I refer you to the discussion on these points contained in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

I'll now turn the call over to Todd.

Todd Schneider, President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Jared, and thank you all for joining us on today's call.

I will start with an overview of our fourth quarter and full year performance and thoughts on the year ahead.

Jim will provide further detail on segment performance, and Scott will walk through additional financial details and assumptions for our fiscal 2027 outlook.

We are very pleased with our fourth quarter results.

To close out fiscal 2026, we delivered robust top-line growth and strong profitability, underscoring the strength of our value proposition across each of our businesses.

In the fourth quarter, total revenue increased 8.9% to $2.91 billion.

Our organic revenue growth rate, which adjusts for the impacts of acquisitions and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, was 8.4%.

We continued to execute at a high level across each of our business segments.

Turning to profitability, gross margin for the fourth quarter was 51%, the same as the third quarter, which was an all-time high and up approximately 130 basis points from the prior year.

Operating income as a percent of revenue was 23.2% and grew to $673 million, an increase of 12.7% over the prior year.

Adjusting for universe-related transaction expenses, adjusted operating income as a percent of revenue was 23.6%, representing a year-over-year increase of roughly 120 basis points.

Diluted earnings per share of $1.26 grew 15.6% over the prior year.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $1.29, an increase of 18.3% compared to $1.09 in last year's fourth quarter.