Cintas Q1 revenue $3.01B; raises FY27 guidance

Cintas Corporation reported fiscal 2027 first-quarter results for the period ended August 31, 2026 on September 23, 2026, saying revenue was $3.01 billion, up 10.9 percent, with organic revenue growth of 8.9 percent. Diluted EPS was $1.36, up 13.3 percent, and adjusted diluted EPS was $1.39, up 15.8 percent after excluding $14.4 million of UniFirst-related transaction expenses. The company also raised its full-year fiscal 2027 revenue and adjusted diluted EPS guidance.

Cintas furnished a press release as Exhibit 99 to its Form 8-K AccNo 0000723254-26-000044 (Item 2.02). The print combines a double-digit top-line quarter with an explicit raise of full-year revenue and adjusted earnings guidance — and keeps the proposed UniFirst Corporation acquisition framed as still under U.S. Federal Trade Commission review.

What the quarter shows

Revenue reached $3.01 billion versus $2.72 billion a year earlier. Organic revenue growth — which adjusts for acquisitions, foreign-currency swings, and workday differences — was 8.9 percent.

Gross margin was $1.55 billion, or 51.5 percent of revenue, up 120 basis points from 50.3 percent. Operating income rose 15.2 percent to $711.9 million (23.6 percent of revenue), including $14.4 million of UniFirst transaction expenses. Net income was $551.7 million, up 12.3 percent. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.36; excluding the UniFirst costs, which the company pegs at a $0.03 EPS impact, adjusted diluted EPS was $1.39.

CEO Todd M. Schneider called out record revenue and a record operating margin, tying the organic print and margin expansion to customer demand and ongoing investments in technology, capacity, and talent.

Guidance raised — not merely reaffirmed

Management raised fiscal 2027 total revenue expectations to a range of $12.15 billion to $12.27 billion from a prior range of $12.10 billion to $12.25 billion. It also raised adjusted diluted EPS expectations to $5.45 to $5.54 from $5.36 to $5.50. The adjusted EPS guide excludes non-recurring UniFirst transaction expenses and excludes expected impacts from the proposed UniFirst deal; guidance also assumes no future acquisitions and a constant foreign-currency rate. Fiscal 2027 has one more workday than fiscal 2026.

UniFirst remains proposed, not closed

Schneider said Cintas continues to engage with the FTC on the UniFirst transaction and still expects the deal to close prior to the end of calendar 2026. That is an expectation about a pending review — not a closing announcement. First-quarter results already carry UniFirst-related transaction expenses; the raised guide does not bake in UniFirst operating contribution.

Capital return

On September 15, 2026, Cintas paid an aggregate quarterly dividend of $208.8 million. During the first quarter and through September 22, 2026, the company purchased shares for a total of $544.7 million under its buyback programs.

What this filing settles — and what it does not

The 8-K settles Cintas’s published Q1 GAAP scoreboard, the adjusted EPS bridge used for UniFirst deal costs, and the new FY27 revenue and adjusted EPS bands. It does not declare UniFirst closed, does not print a stock-price reaction, and does not quantify combined-company economics after a potential close.