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CTAS vs. ULS: Cintas vs. UL Stock Comparison

How do Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but CTAS is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies while ULS is classified in Professional Services.

Cintas (CTAS) carries decades of public-market history since August 19, 1983, while UL (ULS) listed on April 12, 2024 — long-window comparisons have far more historical data on the CTAS side.

Company profile comparison for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
Profile ItemCTASULS
NameCintas CorporationUL Solutions Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCommercial & Professional ServicesCommercial & Professional Services
GICS IndustryCommercial Services & SuppliesProfessional Services
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified Support ServicesResearch & Consulting Services
Market Capitalization88.29 billion USD15.88 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateAugust 19, 1983April 12, 2024
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CTAS
ULS
GSPC
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Total Return (1Y)21.43%-3.81%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)20.18%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.37%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CTAS
ULS
GSPC
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)23.96%42.88%
Beta (5Y)0.850.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-27.68%-38.75%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.91M879.46K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CTAS and ULS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.72-0.19
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.06-0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 41.38% and UL (ULS) at 36.51% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

41.38%

Max
47.06%
CTAS
41.38%
Q3
25.43%
Median
14.11%
Q1
3.92%
Min
-20.15%

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

36.51%

Max
47.06%
ULS
36.51%
Q3
25.43%
Median
14.11%
Q1
3.92%
Min
-20.15%
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Cintas (CTAS) at 17.82% and UL (ULS) at 16.13% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.82%

Max
23.28%
CTAS
17.82%
Q3
11.35%
Median
5.65%
Q1
0.87%
Min
-8.60%

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

16.13%

Max
23.28%
ULS
16.13%
Q3
11.35%
Median
5.65%
Q1
0.87%
Min
-8.60%
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 24.10% and UL (ULS) at 19.81% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

24.10%

Max
38.50%
CTAS
24.10%
Q3
18.84%
Median
10.40%
Q1
5.59%
Min
-12.00%

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.81%

Max
38.50%
ULS
19.81%
Q3
18.84%
Median
10.40%
Q1
5.59%
Min
-12.00%
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
ROE (TTM)41.38%36.51%
ROA (TTM)16.66%11.46%
Net Margin (TTM)17.82%16.13%
Operating Margin (TTM)24.10%19.81%
Gross Margin (TTM)50.99%50.69%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 8.94% and UL (ULS) at 6.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 11.59% and UL (ULS) at -1.23% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.94%6.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.51%6.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)11.59%-1.23%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)14.77%2.98%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 1.45 and UL (ULS) at 2.09 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.45

Max
3.63
Q3
2.14
Median
1.55
CTAS
1.45
Q1
1.09
Min
0.45

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.09

Max
3.63
Q3
2.14
ULS
2.09
Median
1.55
Q1
1.09
Min
0.45
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 0.52 and UL (ULS) at 0.54 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.52

Max
2.37
Q3
1.25
Median
0.88
CTAS
0.52
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.54

Max
2.37
Q3
1.25
Median
0.88
ULS
0.54
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.452.09
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.520.54
Net Debt / EBITDA0.76-0.11

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 0.83% and UL (ULS) at 0.74% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.83%

Max
4.33%
Q3
1.80%
CTAS
0.83%
Median
0.60%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.74%

Max
4.33%
Q3
1.80%
ULS
0.74%
Median
0.60%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cintas (CTAS) at 36.88% and UL (ULS) at 22.42% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

36.88%

Max
99.58%
Q3
41.99%
CTAS
36.88%
Median
17.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-17.94%

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

22.42%

Max
99.58%
Q3
41.99%
ULS
22.42%
Median
17.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-17.94%
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.83%0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)36.88%22.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

UL (ULS) at 31.21 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Cintas (CTAS) at 43.86 sits in the richer quartile — CTAS needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

43.86

Max
49.47
CTAS
43.86
Q3
33.76
Median
24.16
Q1
16.01
Min
1.89

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.21

Max
49.47
Q3
33.76
ULS
31.21
Median
24.16
Q1
16.01
Min
1.89
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: UL (ULS) at 4.98 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Cintas (CTAS) at 7.64 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

7.64

CTAS
7.64
Max
7.17
Q3
3.35
Median
1.33
Q1
0.69
Min
0.11

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.98

Max
7.17
ULS
4.98
Q3
3.35
Median
1.33
Q1
0.69
Min
0.11
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: UL (ULS) at 9.32 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Cintas (CTAS) at 17.07 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CTAS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.07

CTAS
17.07
Max
11.25
Q3
6.08
Median
2.92
Q1
1.55
Min
-2.78

ULS

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.32

Max
11.25
ULS
9.32
Q3
6.08
Median
2.92
Q1
1.55
Min
-2.78
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Cintas (CTAS) vs. UL (ULS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cintas (CTAS) and UL (ULS)
MetricCTASULS
P/E Ratio (TTM)43.8631.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)7.644.98
P/B Ratio (MRQ)17.079.32
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.98%2.94%