Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company 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 topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $181.00.

Unifirst Trading Up 19.9%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $195.85 and a 200-day moving average of $177.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.59 and a beta of 0.72.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unifirst

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unifirst by 181.2% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 21,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,563,000 after acquiring an additional 13,732 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 93.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 20,507 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,429,000 after buying an additional 9,881 shares in the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Unifirst during the second quarter valued at about $11,688,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unifirst by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,830 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,038,000 after acquiring an additional 5,864 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the 2nd quarter worth $2,947,000. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

About Unifirst

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).