Home Compare CTAS vs GGG
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Cintas vs Graco: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Cintas holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. Graco still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The lead is spread across growth and profitability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. Cintas Corporation leads by 10 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.74
Similar
Peer-set rank: #45
within Cintas Corporation's functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in margin consistency and capital structure.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencycapital structure
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CTAS
Cintas Corporation
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
GGG
Graco Inc.
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CTAS vs GGG Profitability 84 59 Stability 82 64 Valuation 47 69 Growth 63 35 CTAS GGG
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +28
#2 Profitability +25
#3 Valuation +22
#4 Stability +18
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CTAS and GGG Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CTASGGG Relative valuation Structural strength

Structure clearly favours Cintas Corporation, even though current pricing leans the other way.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CTAS and GGG each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CTAS Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 13 pct gap GGG Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 81st 68th
CTAS (81st percentile) and GGG (68th percentile) sit at comparable positions within their own 5-year histories. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Cintas Corporation sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while Graco Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but Cintas Corporation still holds a clear edge.
Growth — Dominant Gap
CTAS
63
GGG
35
Gap+28in favour of CTAS

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Graco, with a forward P/E that is 9.3 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CTAS vs GGG comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how CTAS and GGG each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.