UniFirst Corporation supplies workplace uniforms and protective workwear in the United States, Europe, and Canada. It operates in three segments: Uniform & Facility Service Solutions; First Aid & Safety Solutions; and Other. The company offers uniforms, specialized protective garments, first aid and safety supplies, and related services such as rentals, restroom and cleaning products, and specialized decontamination and cleanroom services. Founded in 1936, UniFirst is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
Cintas Posts Record $3.01 Billion Quarter, Raises Fiscal 2027 Guidance
Cintas Corporation reported record quarterly revenue of $3.01 billion, up 10.9%, with organic growth accelerating to 8.9%, adjusted EPS rising 15.8% to $1.39, and adjusted operating margin reaching 23.6%. The company raised its fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $12.15 billion-$12.27 billion and adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.54. Truist raised its price target to $230 from $225 with a Buy rating, and UBS raised its target to $235 from $230, though the shares initially fell about 3%. First Aid and Safety posted organic growth of 14.2% while Uniform Rental and Facility Services grew 8%, and gross margin hit an all-time high of 51.5%, up 120 basis points. Cintas is targeting approximately $375 million of operating cost synergies from its $5.5 billion UniFirst acquisition, which it expects to close before the end of calendar 2026 and which is excluded from the fiscal 2027 guidance.
Cintas Set for September 23 Earnings With Fiscal 2027 Guidance of $12.10 Billion to $12.25 Billion
Cintas Corporation heads into its September 23 fiscal first-quarter earnings report with Jim Cramer telling Mad Money viewers the uniform and business-services company is coming in with "a full head of steam." The company closed fiscal 2026 with revenue of $11.26 billion, up 8.9%, and organic revenue growth of 8.3%, while fourth-quarter revenue rose 8.9% to $2.91 billion and gross margin hit an all-time high of 51%. For fiscal 2027, Cintas expects revenue of $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion and adjusted diluted EPS of $5.36 to $5.50, representing revenue growth of 7.4% to 8.7% and adjusted EPS growth of 8.5% to 11.3%. The pending UniFirst acquisition adds cost pressure: fiscal 2027 net interest expense is expected at approximately $105 million versus $101.2 million in fiscal 2026, mainly from bridge-loan financing, and the guidance excludes both the deal's expected impact and nonrecurring transaction costs. Cintas closed at $197.64 on September 18 with a forward P/E of 36.23 as of September 17, and Insider Monkey's tracking of more than 1,000 hedge funds showed 64 holders in the second quarter versus 63 in the prior quarter, with Arrowstreet Capital raising its stake 35% to 2.75 million shares.
CTAS · Capital · Positive Cintas guides fiscal 2027 revenue of $12.10-12.25B and adjusted EPS of $5.36-5.50 after closing fiscal 2026 with 8.9% revenue growth and record 51% gross margin.
UNF · Capital · Neutral UniFirst is only mentioned as Cintas's pending acquisition, which adds bridge-loan interest cost pressure to Cintas's fiscal 2027 guidance.
Bernstein: Cintas-UniFirst deal odds fall to 70% on FTC scrutiny
Bernstein flagged growing market concern over Cintas's proposed acquisition of UniFirst, as regulatory scrutiny widened the spread between the two stocks. Analyst Connor Cerniglia, who rates Cintas at Market Perform with a $200 price target, said the market-implied odds of the deal's approval have fallen to about 70% from roughly 85% on Aug. 25. UniFirst shares dropped 7% over that period, while Cintas fell just 2%, leaving the business services company's stock up about 18% since the start of July. Cerniglia pointed to two main drivers of the sell-off: a report that the Federal Trade Commission had issued expansive civil investigative demands to third-party industry participants as part of its merger review, and an independent 160-page industry report from Uniform Bright prepared for submission to regulators, which skeptics argue could give the FTC, the Justice Department and state attorneys general ammunition against the deal. Management continues to expect the transaction to go through, with Cintas due to complete its response to the FTC's second request between September and November, and Bernstein believes the deal is constructive for Cintas over the long term and will likely close in early 2027.
CTAS · Regulation · Negative FTC civil investigative demands and a critical industry report cut market-implied odds of the Cintas-UniFirst deal approval to ~70%, pressuring Cintas shares.
UNF · Regulation · Negative UniFirst shares fell 7% as FTC scrutiny and a 160-page industry report raised doubts the Cintas acquisition will clear regulators.
Bernstein (Societe Generale / AllianceBernstein JV) · Capital · Neutral Bernstein is the analyst firm issuing the deal-odds and price-target commentary, not a subject of the news.
Cintas CEO Sells Shares to Cover Taxes Amid UniFirst Deal Review
Cintas CEO Todd M. Schneider sold 35,599 shares of company stock on August 10 in a non-discretionary sell-to-cover transaction to satisfy tax withholding obligations tied to vesting restricted stock awards. The sale was valued at $7.2 million based on a weighted average price of $202.71 per share, leaving Schneider with 691,407 directly held shares and 3,466 indirectly held shares. His combined stake of 694,873 shares was worth about $140.9 million at the time, representing close to 0.2% of the company, which has a market capitalization of $82.1 billion. The filing comes as Cintas pursues its acquisition of rival UniFirst, a deal currently under an FTC second request that could reshape the uniform services industry if approved. Cintas reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $2.91 billion, up 8.9% year over year, with a record 51% gross margin.
Cintas reports 8.9% revenue growth in fiscal Q4, guides for continued expansion in 2027
Cintas Corporation reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of $2.91 billion, an 8.9% increase from the prior year, with organic growth of 8.4%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose 18.3% to $1.29, while full-year revenue reached approximately $11.26 billion, up 8.9%, and adjusted diluted EPS was $4.94, a 12.3% increase. The company provided fiscal 2027 guidance for revenue between $12.1 billion and $12.25 billion and adjusted diluted EPS of $5.36 to $5.50, implying 8.5% to 11.3% growth. CEO Todd Schneider noted that the pending acquisition of UniFirst remains on track, with shareholder approval received in June and regulatory clearance expected in the second half of calendar 2026. CFO Scott Garula said fiscal 2027 incremental margins are expected in the 30% to 32% range, with an effective tax rate similar to the 20.2% recorded in fiscal 2026.
Cintas shares jump to four-month high after earnings beat and strong outlook
Cintas shares climbed as much as 6.7% on Wednesday, reaching their highest level in four months, after the uniform and workplace services provider reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and issued a stronger-than-expected outlook for the new fiscal year. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 8.9% to $2.91 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion, while adjusted earnings of $1.29 a share topped the $1.24 estimate. Gross margin reached a record-equalling 51.0%, and operating income increased 12.7% to $673 million. The company forecast fiscal 2027 revenue of $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion, representing growth of 7.4% to 8.7% over fiscal 2026, and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $5.36 to $5.50, excluding any contribution from the pending UniFirst acquisition. Cintas said UniFirst shareholders approved the proposed acquisition in June and that both companies received a second request for information from the Federal Trade Commission, with the deal still expected to close in the second half of calendar 2026.
CTAS · Capital · Positive Cintas reported fiscal Q4 earnings and revenue that beat estimates, and issued a strong outlook for fiscal 2027.
UNF · Regulation · Neutral UniFirst shareholders approved the acquisition by Cintas, but the deal faces a second FTC request; impact on UniFirst is mixed.
UniFirst Corporation's Board of Directors declared regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.365 per share on its Common Stock and $0.292 per share on its Class B Common Stock. Both dividends are payable on September 25, 2026 to shareholders of record on September 4, 2026.
General Mills, FactSet, MSC Industrial, UniFirst rise on earnings beats
Several companies posted gains after reporting quarterly earnings that exceeded analyst expectations. General Mills jumped 8.5% after fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $0.95 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.82. FactSet Research Systems rose 6.7% as third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $4.53 per share topped the $4.44 estimate. MSC Industrial Direct gained 3.7% after third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $1.43 per share surpassed the $1.28 estimate. UniFirst advanced 0.8% following third-quarter 2026 earnings of $2.17 per share, above the $1.93 estimate.
UniFirst Q3 earnings beat estimates, revenue tops $634 million
UniFirst reported quarterly earnings of $2.17 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93 per share by 12.44%. Revenue came in at $634.4 million, exceeding the consensus estimate by 1.28% and up from $610.78 million a year ago. The company has beaten EPS estimates in three of the last four quarters and topped revenue estimates in all four. UniFirst shares have gained about 37.1% year to date, outperforming the S&P 500's 9.6% advance.
UniFirst Q2 CY2026 revenue beats estimates but EPS misses sharply
UniFirst reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of $634.4 million, exceeding analyst expectations of $628 million and representing 3.9% year-on-year growth. However, GAAP earnings per share came in at $1.09, a 42.1% miss against the consensus estimate of $1.88. Adjusted EBITDA was $82.59 million, slightly below the forecast of $84.82 million, while the operating margin contracted to 3.6% from 7.9% a year earlier. CEO Steven Sintros highlighted solid growth and profitability, attributing performance to the strength of the company's service-driven business and disciplined execution.
UniFirst third-quarter profit falls as merger costs hit bottom line
UniFirst Corporation reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $19.9 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, down from $39.7 million, or $2.13 per share, a year earlier, as $20.7 million in costs tied to its pending acquisition by Cintas Corporation weighed on results. Consolidated revenues rose 3.9% to $634.4 million, driven by organic growth in the core Uniform & Facility Service Solutions segment, while operating income fell to $23.0 million from $48.2 million. The company also recorded $5.2 million in costs related to its enterprise resource planning project, compared with $1.0 million in the prior-year quarter. UniFirst shareholders approved the Cintas deal on June 11, 2026, and the companies are cooperating with a Federal Trade Commission second request for information, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of calendar 2026.
UNF · Capital · Negative UniFirst's Q3 earnings show declining profitability (operating margin down, net income halved) due to merger and ERP costs, despite revenue growth.
CTAS · Capital · Neutral Cintas is mentioned as the merger counterparty; the article discusses UniFirst's results and merger progress, but Cintas itself is not directly impacted by UniFirst's earnings.
Truist cuts Cintas price target to $225 but stays bullish on UniFirst acquisition
Truist lowered its price target on Cintas Corporation to $225 from $255 while reiterating a Buy rating. The firm said the reduction reflects a continued overhang on the stock but still sees strong strategic value in the proposed UniFirst acquisition, which Cintas expects to close in the second half of 2026. Cintas forecast fiscal 2026 revenue of $11.21 billion to $11.24 billion, representing total growth of 8.4% to 8.7%, and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $4.86 to $4.90, growth of 10.5% to 11.4%. The adjusted EPS guidance excludes one-time transaction-related costs tied to the UniFirst deal that are expected to reduce fiscal 2026 diluted EPS by about $0.03 to $0.04, with those expenses occurring in the fourth quarter. The guidance assumes constant foreign exchange rates, net interest expense of roughly $101 million, and an effective tax rate of 20%.
CTAS · Capital · Positive Truist reiterates Buy rating and highlights strong strategic value in UniFirst acquisition; guidance shows revenue and EPS growth.
UNF · Capital · Positive Cintas's proposed acquisition of UniFirst is viewed as having strong strategic value, implying a positive outlook for UniFirst.
UniFirst to Report Third Quarter Results July 1 Without Conference Call
UniFirst Corporation will report its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 on July 1, 2026, before the market opens. Due to its pending transaction with Cintas Corporation, the company will not hold a quarterly conference call or provide an update to guidance.
UNF · Capital · Neutral UniFirst will report Q3 results without a conference call due to the pending Cintas transaction; no financial details or guidance update provided.
CTAS · Capital · Neutral Cintas is the acquirer in the pending transaction, but the article only mentions the deal as context for UniFirst's reporting change.
United States