Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $237.73 and last traded at $230.4850, with a volume of 176730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $199.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their target price on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price objective on Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $181.00.

Unifirst Stock Up 19.9%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $195.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.56. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.59 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Unifirst by 285.7% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 135 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 378.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Unifirst in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Unifirst Company Profile

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).