Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Makes New $4.76 Million Investment in UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 24,699 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $4,764,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.14% of UniFirst as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in UniFirst during the second quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UniFirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total transaction of $347,758.56. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UniFirst Price Performance

Shares of UNF stock opened at $248.94 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $236.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.43. The firm has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.93 and a beta of 0.69. UniFirst Corporation has a one year low of $147.66 and a one year high of $283.77.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNF. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price objective on shares of UniFirst in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $214.75.

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).