Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Upgraded to “Equal Weight” at Barclays

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) was upgraded by analysts at Barclays from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $250.00 target price on the textile maker’s stock, up from their prior target price of $145.00. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 5.35% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on UNF. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $207.25.

Unifirst Stock Performance

NYSE UNF opened at $264.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.94 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.47. Unifirst has a fifty-two week low of $147.66 and a fifty-two week high of $271.35.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 EPS 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 company had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Unifirst will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Unifirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at $1,534,745.94. This represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unifirst

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Unifirst by 285.7% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 135 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Unifirst in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Unifirst by 474.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unifirst in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).