Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.580-6.980 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 7.030. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.5 billion-$2.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.5 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNF shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $174.75.

Unifirst Trading Down 4.9%

NYSE UNF traded down $10.02 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $193.13. 97,959 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 180,742. Unifirst has a fifty-two week low of $147.66 and a fifty-two week high of $232.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.99 and a beta of 0.72.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $614.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $607.02 million. Unifirst had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Unifirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Unifirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.30%.

Unifirst News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Unifirst this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue grew modestly (~+2.7% YoY to ~$621M) and gross profit was slightly higher, with some headlines saying sales topped estimates — supportive for the top line. UniFirst’s (NYSE:UNF) Q4 CY2025 Sales Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: The company formally announced fiscal Q1 2026 results in a press release; investors will parse the details (revenue, margins, cash flow) for guidance on the rest of the year. UniFirst Announces Financial Results for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings missed expectations (EPS below consensus) and operating profit/Net income declined materially year-over-year — margin pressure from higher cost of sales and rising operating costs. Reported operating cash flow weakened sharply while capex increased, which raises near-term liquidity and free-cash-flow concerns. Unifirst Corporation (UNF) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue In Line, EPS Miss on Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and price targets are mixed-to-cautious (recent underweight/lower targets), which could cap upside until margins and cash flow stabilize. Analyst commentary and price targets

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unifirst

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unifirst by 378.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Unifirst in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of Unifirst by 1,244.0% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 336 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Unifirst during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).