UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Purchased by Personal CFO Solutions LLC

Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 38.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,551 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNF. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 4th quarter worth about $24,576,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $10,270,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 464.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,188,000 after purchasing an additional 33,919 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 365,047 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $62,456,000 after purchasing an additional 32,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 654,495 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $130,015,000 after purchasing an additional 32,447 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UniFirst Price Performance

NYSE UNF opened at $205.06 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $212.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.04. UniFirst Co. has a 1-year low of $149.58 and a 1-year high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $604.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.60 million. UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. UniFirst’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.26 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is presently 17.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UNF shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com downgraded UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total value of $274,024.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst 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.