Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) VP David Martin Katz Sells 1,464 Shares of Stock

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. This trade represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Unifirst Stock Up 1.3%

UNF stock opened at $241.47 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $203.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.72. Unifirst Corporation has a 52-week low of $147.66 and a 52-week high of $242.02.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of Unifirst in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unifirst has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $181.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNF. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in Unifirst by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 793,765 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $149,402,000 after acquiring an additional 4,339 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,418 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $151,895,000 after purchasing an additional 14,751 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Unifirst by 640.5% during the fourth quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 459,871 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $88,709,000 after purchasing an additional 397,772 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Unifirst by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 451,194 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $87,035,000 after purchasing an additional 143,853 shares during the period. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its position in Unifirst by 164.2% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 367,786 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $70,946,000 after buying an additional 228,586 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unifirst

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).