UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Price Target Raised to $280.00

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) had its price target hoisted by Barclays from $250.00 to $280.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the textile maker’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $214.75.

UniFirst Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of UNF stock opened at $273.29 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.15 and a beta of 0.69. UniFirst has a 1-year low of $147.66 and a 1-year high of $283.77. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $189.37.

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

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UniFirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $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 through this link. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNF. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of UniFirst by 285.7% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 135 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in UniFirst during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in UniFirst by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UniFirst in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UniFirst by 378.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. 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).