Which has the lower trailing P/E, CTAS or ITW?

ITW has the lower trailing P/E: CTAS trades at 41.68 and ITW at 25.72. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CTAS or ITW?

Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CTAS at a 9.62% CAGR versus ITW at 3.30%.

Does CTAS or ITW pay a bigger dividend?

CTAS yields 0.88% and ITW yields 2.27% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CTAS or ITW more profitable?

ITW runs the higher net margin — CTAS at 17.75% versus ITW at 19.39%.

How have CTAS and ITW total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CTAS delivered 23.83% and ITW delivered 12.14% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Cintas Corporation (CTAS) vs Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW)

A side-by-side comparison of Cintas Corporation and Illinois Tool Works Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 31, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CTAS

Cintas Corporation

$81.89B

$204.63IndustrialsDelayed quote: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

ITW

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

$82.56B

$286.95IndustrialsDelayed quote: Jul 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CTAS vs ITW

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

CTAS +6642.3%ITW +3197.9%CTAS compounded faster

CTAS ITW

CTAS vs ITW: by the numbers

•ITW is the larger company ($82.56B vs $81.89B market cap).
•ITW trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (25.72 vs 41.68 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•ITW converts more revenue to profit (19.39% vs 17.75% net margin).
•CTAS grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.62% vs 3.30% CAGR).
•ITW pays the higher dividend yield (2.27% vs 0.88%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CTAS	ITW
P/E ratio	41.68	25.72
Forward P/E	41.80	24.86
P/S ratio	7.34	4.94
P/B ratio	16.10	28.13
PEG ratio	3.18	2.68
EV / EBITDA	28.49	19.70
FCF yield	2.27%	3.34%

Profitability

Metric	CTAS	ITW
Gross margin	50.67%	44.16%
Operating margin	23.14%	26.50%
Net margin	17.75%	19.39%
ROE	38.91%	110.37%
ROIC	23.39%	24.49%

Dividends

Metric	CTAS	ITW
Dividend yield	0.88%	2.27%
Payout ratio	36.22%	61.22%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CTAS	ITW
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.62%	3.30%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	13.58%	9.58%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	9.10%	1.38%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	16.80%	7.33%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CTAS or ITW?: ITW has the lower trailing P/E: CTAS trades at 41.68 and ITW at 25.72. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CTAS or ITW?: Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CTAS at a 9.62% CAGR versus ITW at 3.30%.
Does CTAS or ITW pay a bigger dividend?: CTAS yields 0.88% and ITW yields 2.27% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CTAS or ITW more profitable?: ITW runs the higher net margin — CTAS at 17.75% versus ITW at 19.39%.
How have CTAS and ITW total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CTAS delivered 23.83% and ITW delivered 12.14% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CTAS analysis Full ITW analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Cintas P/E ratio Illinois Tool Works P/E ratio Cintas dividend yield Illinois Tool Works dividend yield Cintas ROE Illinois Tool Works ROE Cintas operating margin Illinois Tool Works operating margin Cintas revenue growth Illinois Tool Works revenue growth Cintas free cash flow Illinois Tool Works free cash flow

Cintas & Illinois Tool Works appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 31, 2026.