Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $149.52 and last traded at $149.0270, with a volume of 3053 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $151.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNF shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group set a $182.00 target price on Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research cut Unifirst from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Unifirst in a report on Monday, July 14th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unifirst presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $174.75.

Unifirst Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67 and a beta of 0.86.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $614.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.02 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 7.11% and a net margin of 6.10%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Unifirst Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This is a boost from Unifirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Unifirst’s payout ratio is presently 18.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unifirst in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Unifirst by 474.1% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Unifirst by 378.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Unifirst in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.