Unifirst Corporation $UNF Stock Position Raised by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 14.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 58,435 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,265 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Unifirst were worth $9,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the second quarter valued at $35,684,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Unifirst by 90.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 191,539 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $36,051,000 after buying an additional 90,751 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Unifirst during the second quarter valued at $11,688,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in Unifirst by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 105,005 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $19,764,000 after acquiring an additional 48,378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Unifirst by 1,492.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 49,571 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $9,330,000 after acquiring an additional 46,458 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unifirst Price Performance

UNF stock opened at $239.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.63 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $201.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.81. Unifirst Corporation has a 52-week low of $147.66 and a 52-week high of $241.32.

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

Unifirst Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.365 dividend. 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of Unifirst 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $181.00.

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).