Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $271.35 and last traded at $268.12, with a volume of 555096 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company 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, Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unifirst presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $181.00.

Unifirst Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $214.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.92.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. 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 19.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unifirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the sale, the vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Unifirst by 3,281.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,232 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 2,166 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Unifirst by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 865,014 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $166,861,000 after acquiring an additional 75,524 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Unifirst by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Unifirst during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Unifirst during the 4th quarter valued at $1,891,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).