Which is better, AOS or CTAS?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Cintas Corporation (CTAS) currently grades higher than AOS — 77/100 (B grade) vs 57/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — AOS wins on none; CTAS wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy AOS or CTAS?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both AOS and CTAS 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 AOS better than CTAS for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, CTAS currently grades higher — 77/100 vs 57/100, a 20-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 AOS and CTAS 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). AOS currently scores 57/100 (C grade); CTAS scores 77/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, AOS or CTAS?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. AOS and CTAS 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, AOS or CTAS?

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 AOS and CTAS both Industrials stocks?

Yes — both A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) and Cintas Corporation (CTAS) 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 AOS vs CTAS 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

A. O. Smith

Cintas

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

AOS

A. O. Smith

Market cap

$8B

Sector

Industrials

CTAS

Cintas

Market cap

$69.19B

Sector

Industrials

Overall winner

Cintas CTAS

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	AOS	CTAS	Winner
Warren Buffett	57C	77B	CTAS
Benjamin Graham	64C	84A	CTAS
Philip Fisher	47D	72B	CTAS
Peter Lynch	51C	68B	CTAS
Joel Greenblatt	40D	69B	CTAS
Charlie Munger	58C	80A	CTAS
Terry Smith	56C	75B	CTAS

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	AOS	CTAS
Market cap	$8B	$69.19B
P/E (TTM)	14.8x	34.9x
EV/EBIT	11.4x	29.7x
ROIC (TTM)	19.25%	23.17%
Gross margin	38.77%	50.36%
Net margin	13.84%	17.57%
Revenue CAGR 5y	2.0%	9.79%
EPS CAGR 5y	6.06%	14.24%
Debt / Equity	0.3x	0.6x
Dividend yield	2.54%	1.07%

Where each one wins

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

AOS leads on

EV/EBIT11.4xvs 29.7x+62%
Dividend yield2.54%vs 1.07%+58%
P/E (TTM)14.8xvs 34.9x+58%
Debt / Equity0.3xvs 0.6x+43%

CTAS leads on

Market cap$69.19Bvs $8B+88%
Revenue CAGR 5y9.79%vs 2.0%+80%
EPS CAGR 5y14.24%vs 6.06%+57%
Gross margin50.36%vs 38.77%+23%

More like AOS

AOS vs PAYX AOS vs LII AOS vs GGG AOS vs WTS AOS vs OMAB AOS vs NSSC

More like CTAS

CTAS vs PAYX CTAS vs LII CTAS vs GGG CTAS vs WTS CTAS vs OMAB CTAS vs NSSC

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

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

A. O. Smith

Cintas

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

AOS

A. O. Smith

Market cap

$8B

Sector

Industrials

CTAS

Cintas

Market cap

$69.19B

Sector

Industrials

Overall winner

Cintas CTAS

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

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	AOS	CTAS	Winner
Warren Buffett	57C	77B	CTAS
Benjamin Graham	64C	84A	CTAS
Philip Fisher	47D	72B	CTAS
Peter Lynch	51C	68B	CTAS
Joel Greenblatt	40D	69B	CTAS
Charlie Munger	58C	80A	CTAS
Terry Smith	56C	75B	CTAS

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	AOS	CTAS
Market cap	$8B	$69.19B
P/E (TTM)	14.8x	34.9x
EV/EBIT	11.4x	29.7x
ROIC (TTM)	19.25%	23.17%
Gross margin	38.77%	50.36%
Net margin	13.84%	17.57%
Revenue CAGR 5y	2.0%	9.79%
EPS CAGR 5y	6.06%	14.24%
Debt / Equity	0.3x	0.6x
Dividend yield	2.54%	1.07%

Where each one wins

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

AOS leads on

EV/EBIT11.4xvs 29.7x+62%
Dividend yield2.54%vs 1.07%+58%
P/E (TTM)14.8xvs 34.9x+58%
Debt / Equity0.3xvs 0.6x+43%

CTAS leads on

Market cap$69.19Bvs $8B+88%
Revenue CAGR 5y9.79%vs 2.0%+80%
EPS CAGR 5y14.24%vs 6.06%+57%
Gross margin50.36%vs 38.77%+23%

More like AOS

AOS vs PAYX AOS vs LII AOS vs GGG AOS vs WTS AOS vs OMAB AOS vs NSSC

More like CTAS

CTAS vs PAYX CTAS vs LII CTAS vs GGG CTAS vs WTS CTAS vs OMAB CTAS vs NSSC

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

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.