Cintas Q3 revenue rises 8.9% to $2.84 billion; full-year guidance raised
Cintas reported fiscal 2026 third-quarter revenue of $2.84 billion, up 8.9%, and diluted earnings per share of $1.24, up 9.7%, for the quarter ended February 28, 2026. The company raised its full-year revenue outlook to $11.21 billion to $11.24 billion and its adjusted diluted EPS outlook to $4.86 to $4.90, and said it agreed on March 10, 2026 to acquire UniFirst Corporation. For shareholders, the higher guidance is the key change, while the pending UniFirst deal brings expected transaction costs of $0.03 to $0.04 per share in fiscal 2026.
Key points
- Third-quarter revenue was $2.84 billion, up 8.9%, with organic revenue growth of 8.2%.
- Net income was $502.5 million, up 8.4%; diluted EPS was $1.24 versus $1.13 a year earlier.
- Operating income rose 8.2% to $659.9 million, but operating margin slipped to 23.2% from 23.4%; gross margin hit an all-time high of 51.0%.
- Fiscal 2026 guidance: revenue of $11.21 billion to $11.24 billion and adjusted diluted EPS of $4.86 to $4.90, excluding UniFirst transaction costs.
The filing
Written by AI (Anthropic Claude, claude-haiku-5-5) on Nov 8, 2026, 1:21 AM ET, from the text of the filing and its press-release exhibits only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on March 25, 2026.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text (each brief's own page names the model) and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the model's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.