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

NOC has the lower trailing P/E: CTAS trades at 40.27 and NOC at 16.03. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CTAS or NOC?

Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CTAS at a 9.62% CAGR versus NOC at 2.67%.

Does CTAS or NOC pay a bigger dividend?

CTAS yields 0.89% and NOC yields 1.84% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is CTAS or NOC more profitable?

CTAS runs the higher net margin — CTAS at 17.75% versus NOC at 10.48%.

How have CTAS and NOC total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CTAS delivered 22.94% and NOC delivered 11.28% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Cintas Corporation (CTAS) vs Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC)

A side-by-side comparison of Cintas Corporation and Northrop Grumman Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CTAS

Cintas Corporation

$79.13B

$197.74IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 29, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

NOC

Northrop Grumman Corporation

$71.69B

$504.61IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 29, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — CTAS vs NOC

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

CTAS +688.8% (+22.9%/yr)NOC +187.4% (+11.1%/yr)CTAS compounded faster over this window

CTAS NOC

CTAS vs NOC: by the numbers

•CTAS is the larger company ($79.13B vs $71.69B market cap).
•NOC trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (16.03 vs 40.27 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•CTAS converts more revenue to profit (17.75% vs 10.48% net margin).
•CTAS grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.62% vs 2.67% CAGR).
•NOC pays the higher dividend yield (1.84% vs 0.89%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CTAS	NOC
P/E ratio	40.27	16.03
Forward P/E	35.94	17.44
P/S ratio	7.02	1.67
P/B ratio	15.40	4.01
EV / EBITDA	26.14	14.54
FCF yield	2.38%	5.09%

Profitability

Metric	CTAS	NOC
Gross margin	50.67%	20.06%
Operating margin	23.14%	10.18%
Net margin	17.75%	10.48%
ROE	38.91%	25.14%
ROIC	23.53%	9.97%

Dividends

Metric	CTAS	NOC
Dividend yield	0.89%	1.84%
Payout ratio	36.66%	30.37%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CTAS	NOC
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.62%	2.67%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	13.58%	8.84%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	9.10%	6.92%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	15.89%	9.71%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CTAS or NOC?: NOC has the lower trailing P/E: CTAS trades at 40.27 and NOC at 16.03. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CTAS or NOC?: Over the past five years, CTAS grew revenue faster — CTAS at a 9.62% CAGR versus NOC at 2.67%.
Does CTAS or NOC pay a bigger dividend?: CTAS yields 0.89% and NOC yields 1.84% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is CTAS or NOC more profitable?: CTAS runs the higher net margin — CTAS at 17.75% versus NOC at 10.48%.
How have CTAS and NOC total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CTAS delivered 22.94% and NOC delivered 11.28% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CTAS analysis Full NOC analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Cintas P/E ratio Northrop Grumman P/E ratio Cintas dividend yield Northrop Grumman dividend yield Cintas ROE Northrop Grumman ROE Cintas operating margin Northrop Grumman operating margin Cintas revenue growth Northrop Grumman revenue growth Cintas free cash flow Northrop Grumman free cash flow

Cintas & Northrop Grumman appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return 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 September 13, 2026.