Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Position in UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 772,667 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,576 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 4.17% of UniFirst worth $129,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNF. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,597,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of UniFirst in the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 75.2% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 268 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $565,000. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in UniFirst by 19.4% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 12,178 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,036,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

More UniFirst News

Here are the key news stories impacting UniFirst this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cintas agreed to buy UniFirst for $310 per share in a cash-and-stock deal, creating a combined market leader with significant route-density and cost-synergy potential — the core reason UNF is rallying. Cintas to Acquire UniFirst in $5.5 Billion Transaction
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage and headlines noting the deal and its premium have pushed UNF shares sharply higher as merger arbitrage and takeover speculation attract buyers. Cintas lands UniFirst in $5.5B cash and stock deal after three tries; UniFirst stock jumps
• Positive Sentiment: Engine Capital (a ~3.2% UniFirst holder) publicly backed the deal, reducing the risk of activist opposition and increasing the likelihood the board will recommend the transaction. Engine Capital Issues Statement Regarding Announced Sale of UniFirst to Cintas
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and industry pieces highlight the long-term strategic rationale (scale, logistics, purchasing power) that could lift combined margins — positive for long-term value but not an immediate guarantee of deal completion. Building a Juggernaut: The Cintas-UniFirst Merger
• Neutral Sentiment: Company PR (TRSA awards) and operating highlights remain supportive of UniFirst’s business quality, but these are secondary to takeover dynamics for near-term price action. UniFirst takes home the gold at TRSA industry awards
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have opened investigations and issued shareholder alerts alleging the UniFirst board may not have secured a fair price, creating legal risk, potential delays and the possibility of litigation-driven adjustments to the deal. SHAREHOLDER NOTICE: Brodsky & Smith Announces an Investigation of UniFirst Corporation (UNF)

Insider Transactions at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total transaction of $347,758.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. This represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of UniFirst from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $207.25.

UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of UNF opened at $274.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36 and a beta of 0.69. UniFirst Corporation has a 1 year low of $147.66 and a 1 year high of $283.77. The company’s fifty day moving average is $220.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.01.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The firm had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $615.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

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).