UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $214.75.

UNF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on UniFirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UniFirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. This trade represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UniFirst

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UniFirst in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in UniFirst by 378.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in UniFirst by 474.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in UniFirst during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNF opened at $252.25 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.76. UniFirst has a 1 year low of $147.66 and a 1 year high of $283.77. The company has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.37 and a beta of 0.69.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. UniFirst’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UniFirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

UniFirst Company Profile

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a leading provider of customized uniform rental and facility service programs in North America and Europe. The company specializes in the rental, laundering and maintenance of workwear, corporate apparel and protective garments for a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, healthcare and food processing. UniFirst also offers a suite of facility service products such as entrance mats, restroom supplies, wipers, mops and hygienic services designed to help customers maintain clean and safe environments.

In addition to its core uniform rental business, UniFirst has expanded its product portfolio to include safety and first-responder gear, flame-resistant clothing, high-visibility apparel and personal protective equipment (PPE).