Cintas raises annual sales, profit forecasts on strong demand

March 25 (Reuters) - Uniform retailer Cintas (CTAS) raised its annual forecasts for revenue and profit on Wednesday, betting on resilient demand for its workplace essentials and facility services.

The company also beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue, benefiting from employment growth in key U.S. industries such as healthcare, social assistance and construction. That reinforced demand for workplace supplies and services including uniforms, fire extinguishers, facility cleaning and safety training.

* Shares of the company were up about 2% in premarket trading.

* In recent years, Cintas (CTAS) has tried to ramp up its revenue by capitalizing on cross-selling as well as rentals and services across categories.

* Earlier this month, it agreed to buy smaller rival UniFirst (UNF) in a $5.5 billion cash-and-stock deal, ending a multi-year pursuit.

* The tie-up, combining two of North America's biggest workwear and facility-services providers, is expected to help Cintas (CTAS) expand its reach and reduce costs by integrating routes, plants and supply chains.

* The transaction costs related to the acquisition had a 3 cent to 4 cent impact on earnings per share for fiscal year 2026.

* The company now expects annual revenue to be in the range of $11.21 billion to $11.24 billion, compared with its prior projection of $11.15 billion to $11.22 billion.

* It also expects its profit to be in the range of $4.86 to $4.90 per share, compared with $4.81 to $4.88 previously.

* Revenue for the quarter ended February 28 rose 8.9% to $2.84 billion, compared with estimates of $2.82 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

* The company earned profit of $1.24 per share in the third quarter, in line with analysts' estimates. (Reporting by Sanskriti Shekhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara)