CTAS vs CXW vs IRM Stock Comparison

Cintas, CoreCivic and Iron Mountain Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CTAS Cintas Corp
$214.80 +7.4% 1M +13.8% 1Y
Market cap
$85.82B
P/E
41.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.56B
Div. yield
0.87%
Facility Services Industrials
6 wins
CXW CoreCivic, Inc.
$30.79 -4.2% 1M +65.9% 1Y
Market cap
$3.04B
P/E
23.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.48B
Div. yield
–
Facility Services Industrials
5 wins
IRM Iron Mountain Inc
$115.26 +3.5% 1M +8.3% 1Y
Market cap
$34.31B
P/E
82.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.56B
Div. yield
2.99%
Facility Services Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Cintas leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Cintas 6, CoreCivic 5, Iron Mountain 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCTASCXWIRMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $85.82B $3.04B $34.31B CTAS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.7x 23.8x 82.0x CXW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 36.7x 1.8x 49.7x CXW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.5% +24.3% +17.4% CXW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.8% 5.1% 5.5% CTAS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 28.2% 6.6% 7.6% CTAS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 3.2x 6.7x CTAS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.87% 0.00% 2.99% IRM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +13.8% +65.9% +8.3% CXW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.1%/yr +29.2%/yr +20.0%/yr CXW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 23.8% 42.0% 33.3% CTAS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 53/100 47/100 CTAS

Percentile Scorecard

CTASCXWIRM

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCTASCXWIRM
Valuation 20 #90 of 112 48 #59 of 112 21 #89 of 112
Growth 71 #29 of 96 45 #53 of 96 90 #11 of 96
Profitability 98 #3 of 91 51 #45 of 91 64 #33 of 91
Financial Health 70 #38 of 125 40 #76 of 125 8 #115 of 125
Shareholder Returns 39 #41 of 67 82 #13 of 67 50 #34 of 67
Overall 60 53 47
  • CTAS ranked among 130 companies in Business Services
  • CXW ranked among 130 companies in Business Services
  • IRM ranked among 130 companies in Business Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCTASCXWIRMSPY
1 month +7.4%-4.2%+3.5% -0.2%
3 months 0.0%+0.6%-8.3% +3.9%
6 months +23.3%+49.7%+2.3% +8.2%
Year to date +14.2%+61.1%+39.0% +12.9%
1 year +13.8%+65.9%+8.3% +12.3%
3 years +73.1%+149.1%+98.0% +87.4%
3 years, per year +20.1%+35.6%+25.6% +23.3%
5 years +101.7%+259.7%+148.3% +67.9%
5 years, per year +15.1%+29.2%+20.0% +10.9%
10 years +713.1%+130.6%+251.8% +261.1%
10 years, per year +23.3%+8.7%+13.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCTASCXWIRMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 23.8%42.0%33.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.3%43.8%34.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.110.371.17 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.581.570.25 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -28.2%-39.7%-40.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.9%-13.3%-13.4% -1.2%
52-week high $225.93$35.53$133.06 $779.14
52-week low $163.55$16.13$78.86 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCTASCXWIRM
P/E now vs peer median 41.7xmedian 21.2x 23.8xmedian 21.2x 82.0xmedian 21.2x
P/S now vs peer median 7.4xmedian 0.9x 1.2xmedian 0.9x 4.5xmedian 0.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.4xmedian 11.9x 11.0xmedian 11.9x 20.3xmedian 11.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 42.2xmedian 13.7x 53.1xmedian 13.7x -69.9xmedian 13.7x
P/B now vs peer median 16.5xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x -26.8xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.75median 1.00 3.36median 1.00 31.37median 1.00

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCTASCXWIRM
Revenue $11.56B $2.48B $7.56B
Gross profit $5.89B – $4.10B
Operating income $2.70B – $1.42B
Net income $2.06B $127.90M $434.46M
Free cash flow $2.03B $57.32M -$490.92M
EPS (diluted) $5.10 $1.29 $1.40
Cash & equivalents $243.60M $108.93M $204.79M
Total debt $2.43B $5.01B $17.35B
Shares (diluted) 404.29M 98.89M 299.85M
Enterprise value $84.90B $2.57B $33.83B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCTASCXWIRM
P/E 41.7x 23.8x 82.0x
P/FCF 42.2x 53.1x -69.9x
P/Operating cash flow 35.3x 15.2x 20.7x
P/S 7.4x 1.2x 4.5x
P/B 16.5x 2.1x -26.8x
P/Tangible book 17.4x 2.1x -13.6x
EV/EBITDA 27.4x 11.0x 20.3x
EV/EBIT 32.6x 17.3x 36.3x
EV/Revenue 7.6x 1.7x 6.8x
EV/FCF 43.3x 74.7x -104.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 36.2x 21.4x 31.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.75 3.36 31.37

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCTASCXWIRM
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.5% 24.3% 17.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.7% 10.2% 13.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.5% – 13.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.2% – 11.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.8% – 35.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.2% – 12.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 11.3% 22.9% 867.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.3% 2.2% 4.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.7% 35.1% 897.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 7.1% 2.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.8% -26.4% 31.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 2.6% 17.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.5% -66.4% 50.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.4% -19.8% -60.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCTASCXWIRM
Gross margin 51.0% – 54.2%
EBITDA margin 27.8% 15.6% 33.6%
Operating margin 23.4% – 18.8%
Pretax margin 22.5% 7.0% 6.7%
Net margin 17.8% 5.1% 5.5%
FCF margin 17.6% 2.3% -6.5%
Operating cash flow margin 21.1% 8.1% 21.9%
Return on equity 39.8% 9.0% –
Return on assets 19.5% 3.7% 2.0%
Return on invested capital 28.2% 6.6% 7.6%
Return on capital employed 34.2% 8.5% 7.5%
Asset turnover 1.1x 0.7x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.6x 3.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 1.1% 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCTASCXWIRM
Debt / assets 22.8% 39.0% 79.0%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.9x -13.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 3.2x 6.7x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 23.5x -35.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.1% 58.4% 105.8%
Equity / assets 48.9% 41.6% -5.8%
Interest coverage 25.3x 3.3x –
Current ratio 1.5x 1.3x 0.7x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.1x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 13.27 1.90 1.76

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCTASCXWIRM
Dividend yield 0.9% – 3.0%
Net buyback yield 1.2% 6.2% –
Shareholder yield 2.0% 6.2% 3.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 35.2% – 229.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 35.6% – -203.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 14.8% – 16.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 15.5% – 11.1%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCTASCXWIRM
Forward P/E 36.7xFY2026 1.8xFY2026 49.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.85FY2026 $16.94FY2026 $2.32FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.4%FY2026 +1,468.5%FY2026 +9.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.4% -85.4% +28.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.98BFY2026 $2.85BFY2026 $8.36BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.3%FY2026 +29.1%FY2026 +21.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.8% -0.2% +2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCTASCXWIRM
Held by institutions 67.6% 87.5% 86.2%
Institutions holding 1,430 278 1,161
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.4% +0.2% +1.9%
Institutions buying 657 155 598
Institutions selling 576 86 377
Buyers to sellers 1.14 1.80 1.59

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CTASCXWIRM
CTAS 1.00 0.02 0.00
CXW 0.02 1.00 0.05
IRM 0.00 0.05 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CTAS, CXW and IRM?

Cintas (CTAS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cintas (CTAS) $85.82B, CoreCivic (CXW) $3.04B, Iron Mountain (IRM) $34.31B.

Which stock is cheaper, CTAS, CXW and IRM?

CoreCivic (CXW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cintas (CTAS) 41.7x, CoreCivic (CXW) 23.8x, Iron Mountain (IRM) 82.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, CoreCivic (CXW) is cheapest (Cintas (CTAS) 36.7x, CoreCivic (CXW) 1.8x, Iron Mountain (IRM) 49.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

CoreCivic (CXW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cintas (CTAS) +9.5%, CoreCivic (CXW) +24.3%, Iron Mountain (IRM) +17.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cintas (CTAS) has the highest net margin (Cintas (CTAS) 17.8%, CoreCivic (CXW) 5.1%, Iron Mountain (IRM) 5.5%). On return on invested capital, Cintas (CTAS) leads (Cintas (CTAS) 28.2%, CoreCivic (CXW) 6.6%, Iron Mountain (IRM) 7.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year CoreCivic (CXW) returned the most: Cintas (CTAS) +13.8%, CoreCivic (CXW) +65.9%, Iron Mountain (IRM) +8.3%. Over five years, CoreCivic (CXW) compounded fastest (Cintas (CTAS) +15.1%/yr, CoreCivic (CXW) +29.2%/yr, Iron Mountain (IRM) +20.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Iron Mountain (IRM) has the highest dividend yield: Cintas (CTAS) 0.87%, CoreCivic (CXW) 0.00%, Iron Mountain (IRM) 2.99%. CoreCivic (CXW) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cintas (CTAS) has been the steadiest (Cintas (CTAS) 23.8%, CoreCivic (CXW) 42.0%, Iron Mountain (IRM) 33.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CTAS, CXW and IRM?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cintas (CTAS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.