Insider Selling: Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) VP Sells 1,464 Shares of Stock

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total transaction of $347,758.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. The trade was a 18.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Unifirst Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE UNF traded up $1.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $239.50. 40,702 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 205,186. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.68 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $202.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.29. Unifirst Corporation has a 12-month low of $147.66 and a 12-month high of $241.32.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Institutional Trading of Unifirst

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNF. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unifirst during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Unifirst by 285.7% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 135 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unifirst in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 474.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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