Cintas Corporation Announces Fiscal 2022 Third Quarter Results
CINCINNATI - March 23, 2022 - Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) today reported results for its fiscal 2022 third quarter ended February 28, 2022. Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 was $1.96 billion compared to $1.78 billion in last year’s third quarter, an increase of 10.3%. The organic revenue growth rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2022, which adjusts for the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, was 10.0%.
Gross margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 was $898.2 million compared to $809.5 million in last year’s third quarter. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 45.8% for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to 45.6% in last year's third quarter. Energy expenses comprised of gasoline, natural gas and electricity were 45 basis points higher during the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to last year's third quarter.
Operating income for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 was $407.6 million compared to $326.5 million in last year's third quarter. Operating income as a percentage of revenue was 20.8% in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to 18.4% in last year's third quarter. Fiscal 2022 third quarter operating income included a $30.2 million gain on an equity method investment transaction. The gain was recorded in selling and administrative expenses. Excluding this gain, fiscal 2022 third quarter operating income as a percentage of revenue was 19.3%, an increase of 90 basis points from last year's third quarter.
Net income was $315.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to $258.4 million in last year's third quarter. Third quarter of fiscal 2022 diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $2.97 compared to $2.37 in last year's third quarter. Fiscal 2022 third quarter diluted EPS contained $0.28 from the gain on an equity method investment transaction, which included a related $0.07 tax rate benefit. Excluding this gain and the related tax impact, fiscal 2022 third quarter diluted EPS was $2.69 compared to $2.37 in last year's third quarter, a 13.5% increase from last year's diluted EPS.
Fiscal 2022 third quarter net cash provided by operating activities was $393.3 million compared to $331.9 million in last year's third quarter, an increase of 18.5%. During the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and through March 22, 2022, Cintas purchased $584.2 million of Cintas common stock under its buyback program. On March 15, 2022, Cintas paid shareholders an aggregate of $99.0 million in quarterly dividends.
Todd M. Schneider, Cintas' President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are pleased with our third quarter financial results, led by a revenue increase of 10.3%. Excluding the gain previously mentioned, operating income and diluted EPS increased significantly despite inflation. Our financial results are indicative of our strong value proposition. Businesses prioritize image, cleanliness, safety and compliance and, challenged with labor scarcity and rising costs, increasingly count on Cintas to help get them Ready for the Workday®."
Mr. Schneider concluded, "We are increasing our financial guidance. We expect our fiscal 2022 fourth quarter revenue to be in the range of $1.96 billion to $2.02 billion and diluted EPS to be in the range of $2.54 to $2.74. Our fourth quarter fiscal 2022 effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 23.2% compared to a rate of 19.4% for last year's fourth quarter. The expected higher effective tax rate is anticipated to negatively impact fiscal 2022 fourth quarter diluted EPS guidance by approximately $0.14 and diluted EPS growth by approximately 560 basis points. Our financial guidance includes share buybacks through March 22, 2022 but does not include the impact of any future share buybacks."
About Cintas Corporation
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 2022 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; 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, 2021 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