UniFirst Corporation $UNF Shares Acquired by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its position in UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 865,014 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 75,524 shares during the quarter. UniFirst makes up about 1.8% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $166,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in UniFirst by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 378.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of UniFirst by 1,244.0% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 336 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UniFirst from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of UniFirst from $206.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UniFirst presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.25.

UniFirst Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:UNF opened at $260.83 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $261.93 and a 200-day moving average of $234.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a PE ratio of 35.34 and a beta of 0.63. UniFirst Corporation has a 52 week low of $147.66 and a 52 week high of $283.77.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The textile maker reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.08). UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 5.49%.The company had revenue of $622.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $614.91 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is 19.78%.

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).