Shares of Cintas (Nasdaq: CTAS) took a hit this week, after the uniform specialist posted uninspiring quarterly results. Revenue fell 10%, while earnings declined by 20%.

Does this surprise anyone? If your business is leasing out clean workforce uniforms and providing corporate cleaning supplies, you're going to take a hit when recessions force companies to scale back on their hires.

On the other side of the performance spectrum, Linux vendor Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) delivered an 18% top-line surge for its latest quarter. This also comes as no surprise. Red Hat provides companies with cheaper enterprise solutions based on open source software. When money's tight, IT spending will guide companies to cost-saving changes.

Briefly in the news
Let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week:

  • Rumors of Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) acquiring Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) resurfaced this week, as trading activity spiked on Netflix call options. This pairing seems to crop up every so often, as if Amazon were a bloodthirsty bull drawn to Netflix's red mailers.
  • Online poker specialist GigaMedia (Nasdaq: GIGM) may have played a bad hand, but it still has plenty of chips. The Taiwanese company finally reported its quarterly results. It posted a small deficit, but the company's balance sheet is juicy and getting juicier.
  • sanofi-aventis (NYSE: SNY) is buying Chattem (Nasdaq: CHTT) in a $1.9 billion deal. Let's hope that it realizes that Gold Bond is just a medicated powder, and not a precious metals play.

Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz