Yahoo Finance Is It Time To Consider Buying Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS)?
Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Let’s take a look at Cintas’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.
See our latest analysis for Cintas
Is Cintas Still Cheap?
Cintas is currently expensive based on my price multiple model, where I look at the company's price-to-earnings ratio in comparison to the industry average. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that Cintas’s ratio of 36.2x is above its peer average of 18.57x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Commercial Services industry. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Cintas’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.
What does the future of Cintas look like?
Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. However, with a relatively muted profit growth of 4.1% expected over the next couple of years, growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for Cintas, at least in the short term.
What This Means For You
Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in CTAS’s outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe CTAS should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on CTAS for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive growth outlook may mean it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Cintas and you'll want to know about it.
If you are no longer interested in Cintas, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
