The takeaway
Cintas Corporation shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in May (+5.1%) and softest in September (−1.3%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 90% of years, averaging +7.4%, about +5.3 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Cintas Corporation's most dependable month has been May, higher in 10 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in July (+5.3 pts); it has trailed the market most in December (−2.4 pts).
“vs S&P” is Cintas Corporation’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Cintas Corporation’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, May has closed higher 100% of the time versus 100% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) May return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. May stands out, higher in all 10 Mays, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
The headline flatters a touch — its +5.1% average sits well above the +3.1% a typical year delivers, the work of a few big Mays. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: May has cleared the S&P 500 by +4.3 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages May only about 55% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — May–August forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. At the other end of the calendar, September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−1.3%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in December, October, and September. Its roughest month on record was a −38.0% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
May has now closed higher 10 years running. Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: May aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (May), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (May, +5.1%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −1.3%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
May has been the strongest, averaging +5.1% and closing higher in all 10 years on record since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.3% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade