AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 13,732 Shares of Unifirst Corporation $UNF

AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 181.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 13,732 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC owned 0.11% of Unifirst worth $3,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Unifirst by 5.5% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,204 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Unifirst by 0.9% in the second quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 7,426 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in Unifirst by 1.7% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 4,359 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $729,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Unifirst by 2.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,027 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Unifirst by 22.6% in the second 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Unifirst Stock Performance

Unifirst stock opened at $210.00 on Friday. Unifirst Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $147.66 and a fifty-two week high of $227.32. The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $190.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.11.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.Unifirst’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Unifirst Corporation 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Unifirst’s payout ratio is presently 19.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNF. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $181.00.

About Unifirst

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).