Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) Receives $181.00 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $181.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNF. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd.

Unifirst Stock Down 1.0%

UNF stock opened at $199.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $178.44 and a 200-day moving average of $173.41. Unifirst has a 12-month low of $147.66 and a 12-month high of $232.14.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $615.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Unifirst will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNF. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unifirst during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 378.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Unifirst in the third quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

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).