SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 8,480 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 91.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 820 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 8,480 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in UniFirst by 187.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 273 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in UniFirst during the 1st quarter worth $69,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in UniFirst by 28.9% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 393 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in UniFirst in the first quarter valued at about $103,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 16.7% in the second quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 579 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on UniFirst from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of UniFirst from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 23rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $184.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UniFirst currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William Masters Ross sold 2,282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.27, for a total transaction of $399,966.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,034 shares in the company, valued at $707,039.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of UNF opened at $157.36 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $168.49 and a 200-day moving average of $169.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.75 and a beta of 0.82. UniFirst Co. has a twelve month low of $150.50 and a twelve month high of $187.22.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. UniFirst’s payout ratio is currently 21.60%.

UniFirst Profile

UniFirst Corporation provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company operates through U.S. and Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid segments. It designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments.