Which is better, CTAS or HXL?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Cintas Corporation (CTAS) currently grades higher than HXL — 77/100 (B grade) vs 53/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — CTAS wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; HXL wins on none. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy CTAS or HXL?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both CTAS and HXL are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is CTAS better than HXL for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, CTAS currently grades higher — 77/100 vs 53/100, a 24-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between CTAS and HXL on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). CTAS currently scores 77/100 (B grade); HXL scores 53/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, CTAS or HXL?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. CTAS and HXL are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, CTAS or HXL?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are CTAS and HXL both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both Cintas Corporation (CTAS) and Hexcel Corporation (HXL) operate in the Industrials sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this CTAS vs HXL comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Cintas

CTAS$69.19BIndustrials Market cap, Sector

Hexcel

HXL$6.5BIndustrials Market cap, Sector

Overall winner

Cintas

CTAS 70 HXL

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

Fit scores by strategy

CTAS7wins

0winsHXL

Warren Buffett

77B

D53

Benjamin Graham

84B

B81

Philip Fisher

72B

D54

Peter Lynch

68C

D48

Joel Greenblatt

69C

F43

Charlie Munger

80B

F42

Terry Smith

75B

D46

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CTAS	HXL
Market cap	Winner: $69.19B	$6.5B
P/E (TTM)	Winner: 34.9x	57.2x
EV/EBIT	Winner: 29.7x	44.5x
ROIC (TTM)	Winner: 23.17%	6.22%
Gross margin	Winner: 50.36%	23.62%
Net margin	Winner: 17.57%	6.09%
Revenue CAGR 5y	Winner: 9.79%	9.35%
EPS CAGR 5y	14.24%	64.17% Winner
Debt / Equity	Winner: 0.6x	0.8x
Dividend yield	Winner: 1.07%	0.79%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CTAS leads on

Market cap$69.19Bvs $6.5B+91%
ROIC (TTM)23.17%vs 6.22%+73%
Net margin17.57%vs 6.09%+65%
Gross margin50.36%vs 23.62%+53%

HXL leads on

EPS CAGR 5y64.17%vs 14.24%+78%

More like CTAS

CTAS vs 6532.T CTAS vs SALIK.AE CTAS vs GPP.WA CTAS vs MYCR.ST

More like HXL

HXL vs 6532.T HXL vs SALIK.AE HXL vs GPP.WA HXL vs MYCR.ST

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for CTAS Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for HXL

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Cintas

CTAS$69.19BIndustrials Market cap, Sector

Hexcel

HXL$6.5BIndustrials Market cap, Sector

Overall winner

Cintas

CTAS 70 HXL

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

Fit scores by strategy

CTAS7wins

0winsHXL

Warren Buffett

77B

D53

Benjamin Graham

84B

B81

Philip Fisher

72B

D54

Peter Lynch

68C

D48

Joel Greenblatt

69C

F43

Charlie Munger

80B

F42

Terry Smith

75B

D46

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CTAS	HXL
Market cap	Winner: $69.19B	$6.5B
P/E (TTM)	Winner: 34.9x	57.2x
EV/EBIT	Winner: 29.7x	44.5x
ROIC (TTM)	Winner: 23.17%	6.22%
Gross margin	Winner: 50.36%	23.62%
Net margin	Winner: 17.57%	6.09%
Revenue CAGR 5y	Winner: 9.79%	9.35%
EPS CAGR 5y	14.24%	64.17% Winner
Debt / Equity	Winner: 0.6x	0.8x
Dividend yield	Winner: 1.07%	0.79%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CTAS leads on

Market cap$69.19Bvs $6.5B+91%
ROIC (TTM)23.17%vs 6.22%+73%
Net margin17.57%vs 6.09%+65%
Gross margin50.36%vs 23.62%+53%

HXL leads on

EPS CAGR 5y64.17%vs 14.24%+78%

More like CTAS

CTAS vs 6532.T CTAS vs SALIK.AE CTAS vs GPP.WA CTAS vs MYCR.ST

More like HXL

HXL vs 6532.T HXL vs SALIK.AE HXL vs GPP.WA HXL vs MYCR.ST

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for CTAS Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for HXL

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.