CINCINNATI, March 17, 2021 -- Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) today reported results for its fiscal 2021 third quarter ended February 28, 2021. Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 was $1.78 billion compared to $1.81 billion in last year’s third quarter. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $2.37 in the third quarter of fiscal 2021, an increase of 9.7% from last year's third quarter diluted EPS.
The organic revenue growth rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2021, which is adjusted for the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and differences in the number of workdays, was flat. The organic revenue growth rate for the Uniform Rental and Facility Services operating segment was also flat. Organic revenue for the First Aid and Safety Services operating segment increased 17.7%.
Gross margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 was $809.5 million compared to $824.4 million in last year’s third quarter. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue increased 10 basis points to 45.6% for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to 45.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020.
Operating income for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 of $326.5 million increased 3.8% from last year’s third quarter operating income of $314.7 million. Operating income as a percentage of revenue increased 100 basis points to 18.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to 17.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020.
Net income from continuing operations was $258.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2021, an increase of 10.2% from last year's third quarter net income from continuing operations of $234.5 million. Third quarter of fiscal 2021 diluted EPS were $2.37, an increase of 9.7% from last year's third quarter diluted EPS of $2.16.
During the third quarter of fiscal 2021, Cintas purchased $82.0 million of Cintas common stock under its buyback program. On March 15, 2021, Cintas paid shareholders $79.5 million in quarterly dividends.
Scott D. Farmer, Cintas' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues, and it remains a significant disruption to the economy. COVID-19 case counts surged early in our third quarter, and the economy slowed considerably. We were further challenged in the quarter by severe winter weather which caused extensive energy blackouts in the U.S. Fortunately, after peaking in January, COVID-19 case counts decreased even more quickly than they had increased. Widespread business restrictions were not imposed and demand for personal protective equipment remained strong, positioning us to exceed our financial expectations."
Mr. Farmer continued, "Regardless of the conditions, our employee-partners work with urgency to get businesses Ready for the Workday®. Significant opportunities for new revenue exist because businesses must instill confidence in their employees and customers that they will remain safe and healthy. Cintas employee-partners remain Ready™ to listen, offer solutions and deliver for every business. Every business has a need Cintas can fulfill.”
Mr. Farmer concluded, “For our fiscal fourth quarter, we expect revenue to be in the range of $1.80 billion to $1.83 billion and diluted EPS to be in the range of $2.20 to $2.40. This financial guidance does not include any future share buybacks or additional restrictions on businesses due to increasing COVID-19 case counts.”
About Cintas
Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguishers and testing, and safety training, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. The company is also the creator of the Total Clean Program™ — a first-of-its-kind service that includes scheduled delivery of essential cleaning supplies, hygienically clean laundering, and sanitizing and disinfecting products and services. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.
Cintas will host a live webcast to review the fiscal 2021 third quarter results today at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The webcast will be available to the public on Cintas' website at www.cintas.com. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the live call and will remain available for two weeks.
CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor from civil litigation for forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “target,” “forecast,” “believes,” “seeks,” “could,” “should,” “may” and “will” or the negative versions thereof and similar words, terms and expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of Cintas and speak only as of the date made. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be realized. These statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, potentially inaccurate assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in or implied by this Press Release. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the possibility of greater than anticipated operating costs including energy and fuel costs; lower sales volumes; loss of customers due to outsourcing trends; the performance and costs of integration of acquisitions; fluctuations in costs of materials and labor including increased medical costs; costs and possible effects of union organizing activities; failure to comply with government regulations concerning employment discrimination, employee pay and benefits and employee health and safety; the effect on operations of exchange rate fluctuations, tariffs and other political, economic and regulatory risks; uncertainties regarding any existing or newly-discovered expenses and liabilities related to environmental compliance and remediation; the cost, results and ongoing assessment of internal controls for financial reporting required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; the effect of new accounting pronouncements; disruptions caused by the inaccessibility of computer systems data, including cybersecurity risks; the initiation or outcome of litigation, investigations or other proceedings; higher assumed sourcing or distribution costs of products; the disruption of operations from catastrophic or extraordinary events including viral pandemics such as the COVID-19 coronavirus; the amount and timing of repurchases of our common stock, if any; changes in federal and state tax and labor laws; and the reactions of competitors in terms of price and service. Cintas undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements or to otherwise update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or to reflect events, circumstances or any other unanticipated developments arising after the date on which such statements are made. A further list and description of risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2020 and in our reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The risks and uncertainties described herein are not the only ones we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties presently not known to us, or that we currently believe to be immaterial, may also harm our business.
For additional information, contact:
J. Michael Hansen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - 513-972-2079
Paul F. Adler, Vice President - Treasurer & Investor Relations - 513-972-4195