Cintas 10-K 2014-05-31

10-K 1 ctas531201410k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

CINTAS CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by a check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to the Form 10-K.

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

The aggregate market value of the Registrant's Common Stock held by non-affiliates as of November 29, 2013, was $6,649,843,722 based on a closing sale price of $55.50 per share. As of June 30, 2014, 176,483,004 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock were issued and 116,403,688 shares were outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Commission for its 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

Cintas Corporation

Index to Annual Report on Form 10-K

Part I

Cintas Corporation ("Cintas," "Company," "we," "us" or "our"), a Washington corporation, provides highly specialized products and services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America, as well as Latin America, Europe and Asia. Cintas' products and services are designed to enhance its customers' images and brand identification, as well as provide a safe and efficient workplace. Cintas was founded in 1968 by Richard T. Farmer, currently the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors, when he left his family's industrial laundry business in order to develop uniform programs using an exclusive new fabric. In the early 1970's, Cintas acquired the family industrial laundry business. Over the years, Cintas developed additional products and services that complemented its core uniform business and broadened the scope of products and services available to its customers.

Cintas classifies its businesses into four operating segments based on the types of products and services provided. The Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment consists predominantly of revenue derived from the rental of corporate identify uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, and the rental and/or sale of mats, mops, shop towels, restroom supplies and other rental services. The Uniform Direct Sales operating segment consists of the direct sale of uniforms and related items. The First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment consists of first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. The Document Management Services operating segment consists of document destruction, document imaging and document retention services.

On April 30, 2014, Cintas completed its partnership transaction with the shareholders of Shred-it International Inc. ("Shred-it") to combine Cintas’ document destruction ("shredding") business with Shred-it’s document destruction business. Cintas' document destruction business represented approximately 76%, 80%, and 70% of Cintas' Document Management Services operating segment's assets, revenue, and income before income taxes, respectively, as of and for the most recent quarter ended February 28, 2014. Under the agreement, Cintas and Shred-it each contributed its document destruction business to a newly formed partnership owned 42% by Cintas and 58% by the shareholders of Shred-it. In addition to its 42% ownership of the partnership (named and operated under "Shred-it"), Cintas received $180.0 million in cash at the closing of the transaction. The Company's equity interest in Shred-it is accounted for under the equity method of accounting as prescribed by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Please see Note 1 entitled Significant Accounting Policies and Note 4 entitled Investments of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information on equity method investments.

We provide our products and services to over one million businesses of all types — from small service and manufacturing companies to major corporations that employ thousands of people. This diversity in customer base results in no individual customer accounting for greater than one percent of Cintas' total revenue. As a result, the loss of one account would not have a significant financial impact on Cintas.The following table sets forth Cintas' total revenue and the revenue derived from each operating segment:

Additional information regarding each operating segment is also included in Note 15 entitled Operating Segment Information of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements."

The primary markets served by all Cintas operating segments are local in nature and highly fragmented. Cintas competes with national, regional and local providers, and the level of competition varies at each of Cintas' local operations. Product, design, price, quality, service and convenience to the customer are the competitive elements in each of our operating segments.

Within the Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment, Cintas provides its products and services to customers via local delivery routes originating from rental processing plants and branches. Within the Uniform Direct Sales and First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segments, Cintas provides its products and services via its distribution network and local delivery routes or local representatives. Within the Document Management Services operating segment, Cintas provides its services via local service routes originating from document retention facilities. In total, Cintas has approximately 7,800 local delivery routes, 391 operational facilities and eight distribution centers. At May 31, 2014, Cintas employed approximately 33,000 employees, of which approximately 200 were represented by labor unions.

Cintas sources finished products from many outside suppliers. In addition, Cintas operates five manufacturing facilities that provide for standard uniform needs. Cintas purchases fabric, used in its manufacturing process, from several suppliers. Cintas is not aware of any circumstances that would hinder its ability to continue obtaining these materials.

Cintas is subject to various environmental laws and regulations, as are other companies in the uniform rental industry. While environmental compliance is not a material component of its costs, Cintas must incur capital expenditures and associated operating costs, primarily for water treatment and waste removal, on a regular basis. Environmental spending related to water treatment and waste removal was approximately $21 million in fiscal 2014 and approximately $19 million in fiscal 2013. There were no capital expenditures to limit or monitor hazardous substances in fiscal 2014 and approximately $2 million in capital expenditures in fiscal 2013. Cintas does not expect a material change in the cost of environmental compliance and is not aware of any material non-compliance with environmental laws.

Cintas uses its corporate website, www.cintas.com, as a channel for routine distribution of important information, including news releases, analyst presentations and financial information. Cintas files with or furnishes to the SEC Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as well as proxy statements and annual reports to shareholders, and, from time to time, other documents. The reports and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC are available to investors on or through our corporate website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the SEC. In addition, the public may read and copy any of the materials we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the facilities by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet site located at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, such as Cintas, that file electronically with the SEC. Cintas' SEC filings and its Code of Business Conduct can be found on the Investor Information page of its website at www.cintas-corp.com/company/investor_information/highlights.aspx. These documents are available in print to any shareholder who requests a copy by writing or calling Cintas as set forth on the Investor Information page. The content on any website referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K unless expressly noted.

The statements in this section describe the most significant risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operation and the trading price of our debt or equity securities.

In addition, this section sets forth statements which constitute our cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor from civil litigation for forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "estimates," "anticipates," "predicts," "projects," "plans," "expects," "intends," "target," "forecast," "believes," "seeks," "could," "should," "may" and "will" or the negative versions thereof and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of Cintas and speak only as of the date made. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be realized. These statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, potentially inaccurate assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in or implied by this Annual Report. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the Shred-it partnership's ability to promptly and effectively integrate the Cintas document shredding business with Shred-it's document shredding business, the Shred-it partnership's ability to realize any synergies from the combination of the Cintas document shredding business with Shred-it's document shredding business, the ability to successfully explore strategic opportunities for the Cintas global document storage and imaging business, the possibility of greater than anticipated operating costs including energy and fuel costs, lower sales volumes, loss of customers due to outsourcing trends, the performance and costs of integration of acquisitions, fluctuations in costs of materials and labor including increased medical costs, costs and possible effects of union organizing activities, failure to comply with government regulations concerning employment discrimination, employee pay and benefits and employee health and safety, uncertainties regarding any existing or newly-discovered expenses and liabilities related to environmental compliance and remediation, the cost, results and ongoing assessment of internal controls for financial reporting required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, disruptions caused by the inaccessibility of computer systems data, the initiation or outcome of litigation, investigations or other proceedings, higher assumed sourcing or distribution costs of products, the disruption of operations from catastrophic or extraordinary events, the amount and timing of repurchases of our Common Stock, if any, changes in federal and state tax and labor laws, the reactions of competitors in terms of price and service and the ultimate impact of the Affordable Care Act. Cintas undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements or to otherwise update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or to reflect events, circumstances or any other unanticipated developments arising after the date on which such statements are made, except otherwise required by law. The risks and uncertainties described herein are not the only ones we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties presently not known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also harm our business.

Negative global economic factors may adversely affect our financial performance.

Negative economic conditions, in North America and our other markets, may adversely affect our financial performance. Higher levels of unemployment, inflation, tax rates and other changes in tax laws and other economic factors could adversely affect the demand for Cintas' products and services. Increases in labor costs, including the cost to provide employee-partner related healthcare benefits, labor shortages or shortages of skilled labor, higher material costs for items such as fabrics and textiles, the inability to obtain insurance coverage at cost-effective rates, higher interest rates, inflation, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws and other economic factors could increase our costs of rental uniforms and ancillary products and other services and selling and administrative expenses. As a result, these factors could adversely affect our sales and consolidated results of operations.

Increased competition could adversely affect our financial performance.

We operate in highly competitive industries and compete with national, regional and local providers. Product, design, price, quality, service and convenience to the customer are the competitive elements in these industries. If existing or future competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices, Cintas may be required to lower prices, which would hurt its results of operations. Cintas' competitors also generally compete with Cintas for acquisition candidates, which can increase the price for acquisitions and reduce the number of available acquisition candidates. In addition, our customers and prospects may decide to perform certain services in-house instead of outsourcing these services to us. These competitive pressures could adversely affect our sales and consolidated results of operations.

An inability to open new, cost effective operating facilities may adversely affect our expansion efforts.

We plan to expand our presence in existing markets and enter new markets. The opening of new operating facilities is necessary to gain the capacity required for this expansion. Our ability to open new operating facilities depends on our ability to identify attractive locations, negotiate leases or real estate purchase agreements on acceptable terms, identify and obtain adequate utility and water sources and comply with environmental regulations, zoning laws and other similar factors. Any inability to effectively identify and manage these items may adversely affect our expansion efforts, and, consequently, adversely affect our financial performance.

Risks associated with our acquisition practice could adversely affect our results of operations.

Historically, a portion of our growth has come from acquisitions. We continue to evaluate opportunities for acquiring businesses that may supplement our internal growth. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to locate and purchase suitable acquisitions. In addition, the success of any acquisition depends in part on our ability to integrate the acquired company. The process of integrating acquired businesses may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our management's attention and our financial and other resources. Although we conduct due diligence investigations prior to each acquisition, there can be no assurance that we will discover or adequately protect against all material liabilities of an acquired business for which we may be responsible as a successor owner or operator. The failure to successfully integrate these acquired businesses or to discover such liabilities could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations.

Increases in fuel and energy costs could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The price of fuel and energy needed to run our vehicles and equipment is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by OPEC and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries, regional production patterns, limits on refining capacities, natural disasters and environmental concerns. Increases in fuel and energy costs could adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.

Unionization campaigns could adversely affect our results of operations.

Cintas has been and could continue to be the target of a unionization campaign by several unions. These unions have attempted to pressure Cintas into surrendering its employees' rights to a government-supervised election by unilaterally accepting union representation. We will continue to vigorously oppose any unionization campaign and defend our employees' rights to a government-supervised election. Unionization campaigns could be materially disruptive to our business and could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations.

Risks associated with the suppliers from whom our products are sourced could adversely affect our results of operations.

The products we sell are sourced from a wide variety of domestic and international suppliers. Global sourcing of many of the products we sell is an important factor in our financial performance. We require all of our suppliers to comply with applicable laws, including labor and environmental laws, and otherwise be certified as meeting our required supplier standards of conduct. Our ability to find qualified suppliers who meet our standards, and to access products in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge, especially with respect to suppliers located and goods sourced outside the United States. Political and economic stability in the countries in which foreign suppliers are located, the financial stability of suppliers, suppliers' failure to meet our supplier standards, labor problems experienced by our suppliers, the availability of raw materials to suppliers, currency exchange rates, transport availability and cost, inflation and other factors relating to the suppliers and the countries in which they are located are beyond our control. In addition, U.S. and foreign trade policies, tariffs and other impositions on imported goods, trade sanctions imposed on certain countries, the limitation on the importation of certain types of goods or of goods containing certain materials from other countries and other factors relating to foreign trade are beyond our control. These and other factors affecting our suppliers and our access to products could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We earn revenue, pay expenses, own assets and incur liabilities in countries using currencies other than the U.S. dollar, including the Canadian dollar, British pound, and the euro. In fiscal years 2014, 2013 and 2012, revenue denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar represented less than 10% of our consolidated revenue. Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, we must translate revenue, income and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities, into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. Therefore, fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies, particularly in the event of significant increases in foreign currency revenue, will impact our revenue and operating income and the value of balance sheet items denominated in foreign currencies. This impact could adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.

Failure to comply with federal and state regulations to which we are subject could result in penalties or costs that could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business is subject to complex and stringent state and federal regulations, including employment laws and regulations, minimum wage requirements, overtime requirements, working condition requirements, citizenship requirements, transportation and other laws and regulations. In particular, we are subject to the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, or USDOT, and under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, or OSHA. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in the ordinary course of our business in complying with the USDOT, OSHA and other laws and regulations to which we are subject. Changes in laws, regulations and the related interpretations may alter the landscape in which we do business and may affect our costs of doing business. The impact of new laws and regulations cannot be predicted. Compliance with new laws and regulations may increase our operating costs or require significant capital expenditures. Any failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in substantial fines by government authorities, payment of damages to private litigants, or possible revocation of our authority to conduct our operations, which could adversely affect our ability to service customers and our consolidated results of operations.

We are subject to legal proceedings that may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are party to various litigation claims and legal proceedings. We discuss these lawsuits and other litigation to which we are party in greater detail under the caption "Item 3. Legal Proceedings" and in Note 13 entitled Litigation and Other Contingencies of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements." Certain of these lawsuits or potential future lawsuits, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, may result in liability and expense material to our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could result in significant costs that adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operating locations are subject to environmental laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and health and safety matters, including those governing discharges of pollutants to the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the clean-up of contaminated sites. The operation of our businesses entails risks under environmental laws and regulations. We could incur significant costs, including clean-up costs, fines and sanctions and claims by third parties for property damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of or liabilities under these laws and regulations. We are currently involved in a limited number of remedial investigations and actions at various locations. While based on information currently known to us, we believe that we maintain adequate reserves with respect to these matters, our liability could exceed forecasted amounts, and the imposition of additional clean-up obligations or the discovery of additional contamination at these or other sites could result in significant additional costs which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, potentially significant expenditures could be required to comply with environmental laws and regulations, including requirements that may be adopted or imposed in the future.

Under applicable environmental laws, an owner or operator of real estate may be required to pay the costs of removing or remediating hazardous materials located on or emanating from property, whether or not the owner or operator knew of or was responsible for the presence of such hazardous materials. While we regularly engage in environmental due diligence in connection with acquisitions, we can give no assurance that locations that have been acquired or leased have been operated in compliance with environmental laws and regulations during prior periods or that future uses or conditions will not make us liable under these laws or expose us to third-party actions, including tort suits.

We rely extensively on computer systems to process transactions, maintain information and manage our businesses. Disruptions in the availability of computer systems, or privacy breaches involving computer systems, could impact our ability to service our customers and adversely affect our sales, results of operations and reputation and expose us to litigation risk.

Our businesses rely on our computer systems to provide customer information, process customer transactions and provide other general information necessary to manage our businesses. We have an active disaster recovery plan in place that is frequently reviewed and tested. However, our computer systems are subject to damage or interruption due to system conversions, power outages, computer or telecommunication failures, catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes and usage errors by our employees. Although we believe that we have adopted appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks to our technology and our operations from these information technology-related and other potential disruptions, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of such disruptions, we could potentially be subject to production downtimes, operational delays and interruptions in our ability to provide products and services to our customers. Any disruption caused by the unavailability of our computer systems could adversely affect our sales, could require us to make a significant investment to fix or replace them and, therefore, could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations. In addition, cyber-security attacks are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches

that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data. If the network of security controls, policy enforcement mechanisms and monitoring systems to address these threats to our technology fails, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected company, customer, or employee information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, or other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks could result in financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business or potential liability and damage to our reputation.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could adversely affect our business and stock price.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the consolidated financial statement preparation and presentation. While we continue to evaluate our internal controls, we cannot be certain that these measures will ensure that we implement and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm were to discover material weaknesses in our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Failure to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could cause us to be unable to produce reliable financial reports or prevent fraud. This may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a material adverse effect on our stock price.

We may experience difficulties in attracting and retaining competent personnel in key positions.

We believe that a key component of our success is our corporate culture which has been imparted by management throughout our corporate organization. This factor, along with our entire operation, depends on our ability to attract and retain key employees. Competitive pressures within and outside our industry may make it more difficult and expensive for us to attract and retain key employees which could adversely affect our businesses.

Unexpected events could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

Unexpected events, including fires or explosions at facilities, natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes, war or terrorist activities, unplanned outages, supply disruptions, failure of equipment or systems or changes in laws and/or regulations impacting our businesses, could adversely affect our results of operations. These events could result in customer disruption, physical damage to one or more key operating facilities, the temporary closure of one or more key operating facilities or the temporary disruption of information systems.

We may recognize impairment charges, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We assess our goodwill and other intangible assets and our long-lived assets for impairment when required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. These accounting principles require that we record an impairment charge if circumstances indicate that the asset carrying values exceed their estimated fair values. The estimated fair value of these assets is impacted by general economic conditions in the locations in which we operate. Deterioration in these general economic conditions may result in: declining revenue which can lead to excess capacity and declining operating cash flow; reductions in management's estimates for future revenue and operating cash flow growth; increases in borrowing rates and other deterioration in factors that impact our weighted average cost of capital; and deteriorating real estate values. If our assessment of goodwill, other intangible assets or long-lived assets indicates an impairment of the carrying value for which we recognize an impairment charge, this may adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations.

Within our Document Management business, we handle customers' confidential information. Our failure to protect our customers' confidential information against security breaches could damage our reputation, harm our business and adversely impact our results of operations.

Our services involve the handling of our customers' confidential information, in both paper and electronic formats, and the subsequent destruction or retention of this information. Any compromise of security, accidental loss or theft of customer data in our possession could damage our reputation and expose us to risk of liability, which could harm our business and adversely impact our consolidated results of operations.

The effects of credit market volatility and changes in our credit ratings could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations.

Our operating cash flows, combined with access to the credit markets, provide us with significant discretionary funding capacity. However, deterioration in the global credit markets may limit our ability to access credit markets, which could adversely affect our liquidity and/or increase our cost of borrowing. In addition, credit market deterioration and its actual or perceived effects on our results of operations and financial condition, along with deterioration in general economic conditions, may increase the likelihood that the major independent credit agencies will downgrade our credit ratings, which could increase our cost of borrowing. Increases in our cost of borrowing could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations.

We may encounter difficulties with the newly-formed partnership with Shred-it and could fail to fully realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction.

On March 19, 2014, we announced the contribution of our shredding business to the newly created partnership with Shred-it. The transaction closed on April 30, 2014. Partnerships involve risks, including difficulties in the combination of operations, services, and personnel, and may divert management’s attention from business operations. The inability of the partnership to successfully combine the businesses in a manner that permits the entity to achieve the full revenue and cost synergies anticipated as result of the transaction could adversely impact the value of our investment. The loss of revenue due to the creation of the partnership may have a dilutive impact that we may be unable to offset. We may also incur unexpected costs, including post-closing impairment charges, litigation, and other liabilities. As a minority partner in the partnership, our ability to influence our partner may be limited, and non-alignment of interests on various strategic decisions in the partnership may adversely impact our business. For example, our partner may: (i) have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours; (ii) take actions contrary to our policies or objectives; (iii) undergo a change of control; (iv) experience financial and other difficulties; or (v) be unable or unwilling to fulfill its obligations under the agreements governing the partnership, which may affect our financial condition or results of operations. We may not be successful in managing the risks that we encounter in the creation of the partnership and these risks could materially and adversely affect our financial conditions and results of operations.

None.

Cintas occupies 391 facilities located in 295 cities. Cintas leases 204 of these facilities for various terms ranging from monthly to the year 2032. Cintas expects that it will be able to renew or replace its leases on satisfactory terms. Of the five manufacturing facilities noted below, Cintas controls the operations of one manufacturing facility, but does not own or lease the real estate related to the operation. All other facilities are owned. The principal executive office in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides centrally located administrative functions including accounting, finance, marketing and computer system development and support. Cintas operates rental processing plants that house administrative, sales and service personnel and the necessary equipment involved in the cleaning of uniforms and bulk items, such as entrance mats and shop towels. Branch operations provide administrative, sales and service functions. Cintas operates eight distribution centers and five manufacturing facilities. Cintas also operates first aid, safety and fire protection and document imaging and retention facilities and direct sales offices. Cintas considers the facilities it operates to be adequate for their intended use. Cintas owns or leases approximately 13,500 vehicles which are used for the route-based services and by the sales and management employee-partners.

The following chart provides additional information concerning Cintas' facilities:

Rental processing plants, rental branches, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities are used in Cintas' Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment. Rental processing plants, rental branches, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and direct sales offices are all used in the Uniform Direct Sales operating segment. First aid, safety and fire protection facilities, rental processing facilities and distribution centers are used in the First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment. Document Imaging and Retention facilities are used in the Document Management Services operating segment.

• Includes the principal executive office, which is attached to the distribution center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

We discuss material legal proceedings (other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business) pending against us in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," in Note 13 entitled Litigation and Other Contingencies of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements." We refer you to and incorporate by reference into this Item 3 that discussion for important information concerning those legal proceedings, including the basis for such actions and, where known, the relief sought.

Not applicable.

Part II

Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

Cintas' common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "CTAS." The following table shows the high and low sales prices of shares of Cintas' common stock by quarter during the last two fiscal years:

Holders

At May 31, 2014, there were approximately 2,000 shareholders on record of Cintas' common stock. Cintas believes that this represents approximately 30,000 beneficial owners.

Dividends

Dividends on Cintas' outstanding common stock have been paid annually and amounted to $0.77 per share, $0.64 per share, and $0.54 per share in fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph summarizes the cumulative return on $100 invested in Cintas' common stock, the S&P 500 Stock Index and the common stocks of a selected peer group of companies. Because our products and services are diverse, Cintas does not believe that any single published industry index is appropriate for comparing shareholder return. Therefore, the peer group used in the performance graph combines four publicly traded companies in the business services industry that have similar characteristics as Cintas, such as route based delivery of products and services. The companies included in the Peer Group are G & K Services, Inc., UniFirst Corporation, ABM Industries, Inc., and Iron Mountain, Inc.

Total shareholder return was based on the increase in the price of the common stock and assumed reinvestment of all dividends. Further, total return was weighted according to market capitalization of each company. The companies in the Peer Group are not the same as those considered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

Total Shareholder Returns

Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Return

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchases

(1) On October 18, 2011, Cintas announced that the Board of Directors authorized a $500.0 million share buyback program at market prices. Beginning in April 2012, under the October 18, 2011 program, through April 28, 2014, Cintas purchased a total of 11.7 million shares of Cintas stock at an average price of $42.69 per share for a total purchase price of $500.0 million. These purchases completed the October 18, 2011 share buyback program. On July 30, 2013, Cintas announced that the Board of Directors approved an additional share buyback program of $500.0 million. The July 30, 2013 buyback program does not have an expiration date. Beginning in April 2014, under the July 30, 2013 program, through May 31, 2014, Cintas purchased a total of 3.3 million shares of Cintas stock at an average price of $59.72 per share for a total purchase price of $199.5 million.

(2) During March 2014, Cintas acquired 4,411 shares of Cintas common stock in trade for employee payroll taxes due on restricted stock awards that vested during the fiscal year. These shares were purchased at an average price of $59.42 per share for a total purchase price of $0.3 million.

(3) During April 2014, Cintas acquired 12,584 shares of Cintas common stock in trade for employee payroll taxes due on restricted stock awards that vested during the fiscal year. These shares were purchased at an average price of $58.91 per share for a total purchase price of $0.7 million.

(4) During May 2014, Cintas acquired 14,486 shares of Cintas common stock in trade for employee payroll taxes due on restricted stock awards that vested during the fiscal year. These shares were purchased at an average price of $62.11 per share for a total purchase price of $0.9 million.

Five-Year Financial Summary

of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Business Strategy

Cintas provides highly specialized products and services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America, as well as Latin America, Europe and Asia. We bring value to our customers by helping them provide a cleaner, safer and more pleasant atmosphere for their customers and employees. Our products and services are designed to improve our customers' images. We also help our customers protect their employees and their company by enhancing workplace safety and helping to ensure legal compliance in key areas of their business.

We are North America's leading provider of corporate identity uniforms through rental and sales programs, as well as a significant provider of related business services, including entrance mats, restroom cleaning services and supplies, carpet and tile cleaning services, first aid, safety and fire protection products and services and document management services.

Cintas' principal objective is "to exceed customers' expectations in order to maximize the long-term value of Cintas for shareholders and working partners," and it provides the framework and focus for Cintas' business strategy. This strategy is to achieve revenue growth for all of our products and services by increasing our penetration at existing customers and by broadening our customer base to include business segments to which we have not historically served. We will also continue to identify additional product and service opportunities for our current and future customers.

To pursue the strategy of increasing penetration, we have a highly talented and diverse team of service professionals visiting our customers on a regular basis. This frequent contact with our customers enables us to develop close personal relationships. The combination of our distribution system and these strong customer relationships provides a platform from which we launch additional products and services.

We pursue the strategy of broadening our customer base in several ways. Cintas has a national sales organization introducing all of our products and services to prospects in all business segments. Our broad range of products and services allows our sales organization to consider any type of business a prospect. We also broaden our customer base through geographic expansion, especially in our first aid and safety and fire protection businesses. Finally, we evaluate strategic acquisitions as opportunities arise.

Results of Operations

Cintas classifies its businesses into four operating segments based on the types of products and services provided. The Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment consists predominantly of revenue derived from the rental of corporate identify uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, and the rental and/or sale of mats, mops, shop towels, restroom supplies and other rental services. The Uniform Direct Sales operating segment consists of the direct sale of uniforms and related items. The First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment consists of first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. The Document Management Services operating segment consists of document destruction (through April 30, 2014 as previously discussed), document imaging and document retention services.

The following table sets forth certain consolidated statements of income data as a percent of revenue by operating segment and in total for the fiscal years ended May 31:

Fiscal 2014 Compared to Fiscal 2013

On April 30, 2014, Cintas completed its partnership transaction with the shareholders of Shred-it International Inc. ("Shred-it") to combine Cintas’ document destruction business with Shred-it’s document destruction business (the "shredding transaction"). Under the agreement, Cintas and Shred-it each contributed its document destruction ("shredding") business to a newly formed partnership. Please see Note 9 entitled Acquisitions and Deconsolidation of "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information on the transaction.

Fiscal 2014 total revenue was $4.6 billion, an increase of 5.5% compared to fiscal 2013. The increase primarily resulted from an organic growth increase of 5.9%. Organic growth excludes the impact of acquisitions and disposals and adjusts

for the appropriate number of workdays. Revenue in fiscal 2014 was negatively impacted by 0.4% due to one less workday compared to fiscal 2013.

Organic growth by quarter is shown in the table below.

Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment revenue consists predominantly of revenue derived from the rental of corporate identity uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, and the rental and/or sale of mats, mops, shop towels, restroom supplies and other rental services. Revenue from the Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment increased 5.9% compared to fiscal 2013. The increase resulted from an organic growth increase in revenue of 6.3%. The amount of new business grew, resulting from an increase in the number and productivity of sales representatives. Generally, sales productivity improvements are the result of increased tenure and improved training, which result in a higher number of products and services sold

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Earnings are affected by changes in short-term interest rates due to investments in marketable securities and money market accounts and periodic issuances of commercial paper. If short-term rates changed by one-half percent (or 50 basis points), Cintas' income before income taxes would change by approximately $0.2 million. This estimated exposure considers the effects on investments. This analysis does not consider the effects of a change in economic activity or a change in Cintas' capital structure.

Through its foreign operations, Cintas is exposed to foreign currency risk. Foreign currency exposures arise from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency and from foreign denominated revenue and profit translated into U.S. dollars. Foreign denominated revenue and profit represents less than 10% of Cintas' consolidated revenue and profit. Cintas periodically uses foreign currency hedges such as average rate options and forward contracts to mitigate the risk of foreign currency exchange rate movements resulting from foreign currency revenue and from international cash flows. The primary foreign currency to which Cintas is exposed is the Canadian dollar.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the Fiscal Years Ended May 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

Management's Report on

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

To the Shareholders of Cintas Corporation:

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15(d)-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Accordingly, even an effective system of internal control over financial reporting will provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation.

With the supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, management assessed our internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2014. Management based its assessment on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Management's assessment included evaluation of such elements as the design and operating effectiveness of key financial reporting controls, process documentation, accounting policies and our overall control environment. This assessment is supported by testing and monitoring performed by our internal audit function.

Based on our assessment, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of May 31, 2014, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

We reviewed the results of management's assessment with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. Additionally, our independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, independently assessed the effectiveness of Cintas Corporation's internal control over financial reporting. Ernst & Young LLP has issued an attestation report, which is included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Cintas Corporation

We have audited Cintas Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (1992 framework) (the COSO criteria). Cintas Corporation’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, Cintas Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2014, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have a

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Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

With the participation of Cintas' management, including Cintas' Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Controllers, Cintas has evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of May 31, 2014. Based on such evaluation, Cintas' management, including Cintas' Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Controllers, have concluded that Cintas' disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of May 31, 2014, in ensuring (i) information required to be disclosed by Cintas in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms and (ii) information required to be disclosed by Cintas in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to Cintas' management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and the Report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon are set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated by reference herein.

There were no changes in Cintas' internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal quarter ended May 31, 2014, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, Cintas' internal control over financial reporting.

None.

Part III

The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to the material contained in Cintas' definitive proxy statement for the 2014 annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the close of the fiscal year (the "Proxy Statement").

The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to the material contained in the Proxy Statement.

Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to the material contained in the Proxy Statement, except that the information required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K can be found below.

The following table provides information about Cintas' common stock that may be issued under Cintas' equity compensation plans as of May 31, 2014.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

(1) Excludes 2,158,778 unvested restricted stock units.

Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to the material contained in the Proxy Statement.

The information required under this item is incorporated herein by reference to the material contained in the Proxy Statement.

Part IV

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

DATE SIGNED: July 30, 2014

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Cintas Corporation

Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves

Exhibit Index