Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Rating Increased to Equal Weight at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report issued on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $250.00 target price on the textile maker’s stock, up from their prior target price of $145.00.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a 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, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unifirst has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $207.25.

Unifirst Stock Performance

Shares of UNF stock traded down $2.60 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $260.16. 405,395 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 208,410. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.06. The firm has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41 and a beta of 0.69. Unifirst has a fifty-two week low of $147.66 and a fifty-two week high of $271.35.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $621.32 million for 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 firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unifirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Insider Activity at Unifirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total transaction of $347,758.56. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,534,745.94. This trade represents a 18.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Unifirst in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,597,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in Unifirst by 181.2% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 21,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,563,000 after acquiring an additional 13,732 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Unifirst during the 3rd quarter valued at $18,177,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Unifirst by 93.0% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 20,507 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,429,000 after acquiring an additional 9,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Engine Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Unifirst during the second quarter worth $11,688,000. Institutional investors 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).