Contrasting International Card Establishment (OTCMKTS:ICRD) and Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) and International Card Establishment (OTCMKTS:ICRD) are both business services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Cintas and International Card Establishment, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cintas	1	5	7	1	2.57
International Card Establishment	0	0	0	0	0.00

Cintas presently has a consensus target price of $220.25, indicating a potential upside of 22.81%. Given Cintas’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Cintas is more favorable than International Card Establishment.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

63.5% of Cintas shares are held by institutional investors. 14.9% of Cintas shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Cintas has a beta of 0.95, suggesting that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International Card Establishment has a beta of 12.44, suggesting that its share price is 1,144% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Cintas and International Card Establishment’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cintas	17.58%	41.07%	19.27%
International Card Establishment	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Cintas and International Card Establishment”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cintas	$10.79 billion	6.64	$1.81 billion	$3.43	52.29
International Card Establishment	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Cintas has higher revenue and earnings than International Card Establishment.

Summary

Cintas beats International Card Establishment on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation engages in the provision of corporate identity uniforms and related business services primarily in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Uniform Rental and Facility Services, First Aid and Safety Services, and All Other segments. The company rents and services uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels, and other ancillary items; and provides restroom cleaning services and supplies, as well as sells uniforms. In addition, the company offers first aid and safety services, and fire protection products and services. It provides its products and services through its distribution network and local delivery routes, or local representatives to small service and manufacturing companies, as well as major corporations. The company was founded in 1968 and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cintas Corporation was formerly a subsidiary of Cintas Corporation.

About International Card Establishment

International Card Establishment, Inc. provides merchant services in the United States. It offers payment processing services for brick and mortar merchants; proprietary gift and loyalty program; gift cards with customized artwork; various merchant terminals and accessories; leasing program; customer support; and agent program. The company is headquartered in Camarillo, California.