CTAS vs LULU
Cintas Corp. and lululemon athletica Inc., side by side — 10 fiscal years reported in USD, drawn from SEC filings.
Most recent reported year
| Metric | CTAS | LULU |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $11.3B | $11.1B |
| Net income | $2.0B | $1.6B |
| Gross margin | 50.7% | 56.6% |
| Net margin | 17.8% | 14.2% |
| Return on equity | 40.7% | 34.0% |
| Diluted EPS | $4.91 | $13.26 |
| Dividend / share | $1.80 | · |
| Payout ratio | 35.1% | · |
| Free cash flow | $1.9B | $921.7M |
| Equity | $5.1B | $5.0B |
| Net debt / equity | 0.42× | · |
| Current ratio | 1.43× | 2.26× |
| Revenue CAGR 5y | 9.6% | 20.3% |
| Profit CAGR 5y | 12.5% | 21.8% |
CTAS and LULU book revenue within 15% of each other, and keeps more of each dollar of revenue as profit (17.8% against 14.2%).
The stronger figure of the pair is set in bold. That is arithmetic, not a recommendation — this page does not pick a winner. "·" marks a figure not available in our data.
10 years side by side
| Fiscal year | CTAS | LULU |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $11.3B | $11.1B |
| FY2024 | $10.3B | $10.6B |
| FY2023 | $9.6B | $9.6B |
| FY2022 | $8.8B | $8.1B |
| FY2021 | $7.9B | $6.3B |
| FY2020 | $7.1B | $4.4B |
| FY2019 | $7.1B | $4.0B |
| FY2018 | $6.9B | $3.3B |
| FY2017 | $6.5B | $2.6B |
| FY2016 | $5.3B | $2.3B |
Bottom line
| Fiscal year | CTAS | LULU |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $2.0B | $1.6B |
| FY2024 | $1.8B | $1.8B |
| FY2023 | $1.6B | $1.6B |
| FY2022 | $1.3B | $854.8M |
| FY2021 | $1.2B | $975.3M |
| FY2020 | $1.1B | $588.9M |
| FY2019 | $876.0M | $645.6M |
| FY2018 | $885.0M | $483.8M |
| FY2017 | $842.6M | $258.7M |
| FY2016 | $480.7M | $303.4M |
18 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | +$162,161,000 | CTAS |
| FY2024 | −$247,945,000 | LULU |
| FY2023 | −$22,663,000 | LULU |
| FY2022 | +$705,251,000 | CTAS |
| FY2021 | +$1,597,842,000 | CTAS |
| FY2020 | +$2,714,461,000 | CTAS |
| FY2019 | +$3,105,824,000 | CTAS |
| FY2018 | +$3,603,984,000 | CTAS |
| FY2017 | +$3,827,451,000 | CTAS |
| FY2016 | +$2,978,989,000 | CTAS |
| FY2015 | +$2,735,249,000 | CTAS |
| FY2014 | +$2,572,464,000 | CTAS |
| FY2013 | +$2,602,656,000 | CTAS |
| FY2012 | +$2,875,606,000 | CTAS |
| FY2011 | +$3,101,161,000 | CTAS |
| FY2010 | +$3,098,680,000 | CTAS |
| FY2009 | +$3,094,441,000 | CTAS |
| FY2008 | +$3,421,197,000 | CTAS |
The higher-revenue side has changed between CTAS and LULU over this period. The gap has narrowed since the earliest year compared.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
18 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | +3.5 pp | CTAS |
| FY2024 | +0.4 pp | CTAS |
| FY2023 | +0.3 pp | CTAS |
| FY2022 | +4.8 pp | CTAS |
| FY2021 | +0.1 pp | CTAS |
| FY2020 | +2.2 pp | CTAS |
| FY2019 | −3.9 pp | LULU |
| FY2018 | −1.9 pp | LULU |
| FY2017 | +3.2 pp | CTAS |
| FY2016 | −3.9 pp | LULU |
| FY2015 | +1.5 pp | CTAS |
| FY2014 | −3.4 pp | LULU |
| FY2013 | −8.6 pp | LULU |
| FY2012 | −12.3 pp | LULU |
| FY2011 | −11.4 pp | LULU |
| FY2010 | −10.7 pp | LULU |
| FY2009 | −6.8 pp | LULU |
| FY2008 | −5.1 pp | LULU |
The higher net margin has changed hands between CTAS and LULU over this period.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
CTAS's net margin has been more volatile than LULU's over the 18 comparable fiscal years — 4.1 percentage points of standard deviation against 2.7.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in net margin changed hands between CTAS and LULU over these 18 fiscal years — CTAS led in 8 and LULU in 10.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
CTAS's return on equity has been more volatile than LULU's over the 18 comparable fiscal years — 11.1 percentage points of standard deviation against 7.0.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in return on equity changed hands between CTAS and LULU over these 18 fiscal years — CTAS led in 5 and LULU in 13.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.