UBS Group Lowers UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Price Target to $194.00

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) had its target price dropped by research analysts at UBS Group from $235.00 to $194.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the textile maker’s stock. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential downside of 1.19% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

UniFirst Trading Down 0.4 %

UNF stock opened at $196.35 on Tuesday. UniFirst has a 12 month low of $149.58 and a 12 month high of $243.70. The stock has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of 25.11 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $214.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $199.07.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.09. UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm had revenue of $604.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that UniFirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In related 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,361,682.25. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of UniFirst by 464.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $8,188,000 after purchasing an additional 33,919 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 11,519 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,974,000 after acquiring an additional 2,281 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of UniFirst in the 4th quarter worth $255,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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, KBC Group NV boosted its position in UniFirst by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 740 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

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.