UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on UNF. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $184.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of UniFirst from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.75.

UniFirst Trading Up 1.6 %

UNF stock opened at $159.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.70. UniFirst has a 12-month low of $150.50 and a 12-month high of $187.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12 and a beta of 0.83.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 27th. The textile maker reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.19). UniFirst had a net margin of 4.92% and a return on equity of 6.19%. The business had revenue of $590.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.56 million. On average, research analysts predict that UniFirst will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In other news, EVP William Masters Ross sold 2,282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.27, for a total value of $399,966.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $707,039.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 4.8% in the third quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in UniFirst by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 171 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in UniFirst by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,160 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in UniFirst by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 8,613 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in UniFirst by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 825 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Company 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.