UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) Receives $214.75 Average Target Price from Brokerages

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $214.75.

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNF. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd.

UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of UniFirst stock opened at $248.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 32.93 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.60. UniFirst has a one year low of $147.66 and a one year high of $283.77.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $615.23 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that UniFirst will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at $1,534,745.94. This trade represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UniFirst in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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. lifted its position in UniFirst by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other 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).