Look past Cintas’s high multiple

Article Excerpt

Cintas’s shares have gained 15% since the start of 2022 as the re-opening of the economy continues to spur demand for its uniform rentals and other business services. While the stock looks expensive in relation to its earnings, its high market share and cost controls justify that multiple. CINTAS CORP. $455 remains a buy for aggressive investors. The company (Nasdaq symbol CTAS; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 101.6 million; Market cap: $46.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.9; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cintas.com) designs and makes uniforms, then sells or rents them to businesses, mainly in North America. It also sells related products and services such as office cleaning and first-aid kits. In March 2017, the company completed its biggest purchase to date when it paid $2.2 billion for rival uniform supplier G&K Services. That purchase helped spur Cintas’s revenue by 21.3%, from $6.48 billion in 2018 to a record $7.85 billion in 2022 (fiscal years end May 31). Earnings from ongoing…