Brokerages Set Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) Target Price at $181.00

Shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UNF shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd.

Unifirst Price Performance

UNF stock opened at $202.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79 and a beta of 0.73. Unifirst has a twelve month low of $147.66 and a twelve month high of $223.58. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.37.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $621.32 million during 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Unifirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company 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 is currently 19.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Unifirst during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Unifirst by 474.1% during 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 during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Unifirst by 378.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Unifirst in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).