Cintas Corporation vs Lumen Technologies Inc — how do they compare? Cintas Corporation trades at $205.78 (market cap $82.15B), while Lumen Technologies Inc trades at $6.31 (market cap $6.58B). The key difference: Cintas Corporation is far larger — about 12.5× Lumen Technologies Inc's market cap, and Cintas Corporation pays a 1.01% dividend while Lumen Technologies Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CTAS | LUMN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.15B | $6.58B |
Sector | Industrials | Media |
52-Week High | $225.10 | $11.83 |
52-Week Low | $163.55 | $3.95 |
Enterprise Value | $84.56B | $18.20B |
Dividend Yield | 1.01% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Cintas (CTAS) trades at $204.86, up 1.06% on the day, with a bullish technical signal and recent earnings beats driving positive momentum. The company reported strong Q2 2026 EPS of $1.29, exceeding expectations, and maintains robust fundamentals with a 17.75% net income margin and 40.59% ROE. Revenue growth is steady, reaching $10.34B in 2025, supported by consistent profitability and a dividend payout.
The outlook is positive, with a consensus price target of $225.83 implying ~10% upside, though high valuation ratios (P/E 41.81) and competitive pressures pose risks. Institutional interest is strong, with recent upgrades, but investors should monitor debt levels and economic sensitivity.
LUMN stock trades at $6.375, down 3.99% today, amid a bearish technical signal and mixed earnings. The company reported a Q2 2026 loss of $0.07 per share, beating estimates, but revenue declined 9.3% year-over-year. Strategic revenues grew 14.1%, highlighting its digital transformation. CEO Kathleen Johnson purchased 100,000 shares on August 6, 2026, signaling insider confidence. Net cash flow was negative $886 million in 2025, though 2026 projections show improvement. The stock faces headwinds from high debt and legacy revenue declines.
LUMN offers a high-risk opportunity with a low P/S ratio of 0.54 and analyst consensus price target of $7.67, implying potential upside. However, persistent net losses, negative ROE of -78.94%, and $17.49 billion in long-term debt pose significant risks. Investors should weigh the digital growth potential against financial instability and cautious analyst sentiment, with 60.71% holding ratings.
Trailing returns across standard periods
In its core uniform and facility services unit (78% of sales), Cintas provides uniform rental programs to businesses across the size spectrum, mostly in North America. The firm is by far the largest provider in the industry. Facilities products generally include the rental and sale of entrance mat, mops, shop towels, hand sanitizers, and restroom supplies. Cintas also runs a first aid and safety services business (11% of sales), a fire protection services business (7% of sales), and a uniform direct sales business (4% of sales).
Read more on CTAS →With 450,000 route miles of fiber, including over 35,000 route miles of subsea fiber connecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Lumen Technologies is one of the United States' largest telecommunications carriers serving global enterprises. Its merger with Level 3 further shifted the company's operations toward businesses (over 70% of revenue) and away from its legacy consumer business. Lumen offers businesses a full menu of communications services, providing colocation and data center services, data transportation, and end-user phone and internet service. On the consumer side, Lumen provides broadband and phone service across 37 states, where it has 4.5 million broadband customers.
Read more on LUMN →