Bailard Inc. Buys New Shares in Unifirst Corporation $UNF

Bailard Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,000 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $565,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 285.7% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 135 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Unifirst during the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Unifirst by 22.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 450 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc bought a new position in Unifirst in the first quarter worth approximately $87,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unifirst Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE UNF opened at $161.92 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.28. Unifirst Corporation has a 12 month low of $147.66 and a 12 month high of $243.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29 and a beta of 0.81.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $614.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.02 million. Unifirst had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This is a positive change from Unifirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unifirst’s payout ratio is currently 18.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNF shares. Zacks Research downgraded Unifirst from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Unifirst in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unifirst has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $174.75.

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.