Nvest Financial LLC Takes Position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Nvest Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,020 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in UniFirst by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,690,940 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $309,290,000 after buying an additional 12,138 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the fourth quarter worth approximately $288,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC purchased a new stake in UniFirst in the first quarter valued at approximately $513,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in UniFirst by 336.5% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,582 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 14,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pullen Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in UniFirst during the first quarter worth approximately $473,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNF has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $185.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. StockNews.com raised UniFirst from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of UniFirst from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.00.

UniFirst Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE UNF traded up $3.17 on Friday, hitting $187.71. The company had a trading volume of 14,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,198. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95 and a beta of 0.81. UniFirst Co. has a 12-month low of $149.58 and a 12-month high of $200.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $187.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael Iandoli sold 682 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.30, for a total transaction of $132,512.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,744 shares in the company, valued at $921,759.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other UniFirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 550 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $96,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,095,325. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Iandoli sold 682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.30, for a total value of $132,512.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $921,759.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,457 shares of company stock worth $269,413 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UniFirst Company Profile

UniFirst Corporation provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company operates through U.S. and Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid segments. It designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments.