Cintas Corporation vs Northrop Grumman Corporation — how do they compare? Cintas Corporation trades at $204.43 (market cap $82.15B), while Northrop Grumman Corporation trades at $573.8 (market cap $81.78B). The key difference: Cintas Corporation and Northrop Grumman Corporation are close in size by market cap, and Northrop Grumman Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CTAS | NOC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.15B | $81.78B |
Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
52-Week High | $225.10 | $768.02 |
52-Week Low | $163.55 | $496.02 |
Enterprise Value | $84.56B | $95.77B |
Dividend Yield | 1.01% | 1.63% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CTAS trades at $203.06, showing modest daily gains. The stock exhibits a bullish technical trend, supported by recent earnings beats and strong profitability metrics, including a 17.75% net income margin. Recent news highlights dividend declarations and positive analyst upgrades following Q4 2026 results.
The outlook is positive, with revenue growth and margin expansion driving upside potential toward the $225.83 consensus price target. Risks include elevated valuation multiples and macroeconomic sensitivity. Institutional activity shows mixed positioning, but overall sentiment leans bullish.
Northrop Grumman (NOC) trades at $577.89, up 1.1% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a record $105 billion backlog supporting fundamentals. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations, with sales growth of 5% and raised full-year guidance (Seeking Alpha, 2026-07-23). Valuation ratios like P/E of 18.3 and ROE of 26.96% reflect strong profitability, though RSI levels indicate overbought conditions.
The outlook is positive due to defense spending tailwinds and strategic contracts, but risks include margin pressure from specific programs and geopolitical volatility. Analysts maintain a buy consensus with a $598.57 price target, suggesting modest upside from current levels.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Northrop Grumman is a defense contractor that is diversified across short-cycle and long-cycle businesses. The firm's segments include aeronautics, mission systems, defense services, and space systems. The company's aerospace segment creates the fuselage for the massive F-35 program and produces various piloted and autonomous flight systems. Mission systems creates a variety of sensors and processors for defense hardware. The defense systems segment is a long-range missile manufacturer. Finally, the company's space systems segment produces various space structures, sensors, and satellites.
Read more on NOC →