Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $271.35 and last traded at $268.12, with a volume of 555096 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price objective on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unifirst currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $181.00.

Unifirst Stock Up 14.8%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $214.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.92. The firm has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11 and a beta of 0.69.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Unifirst had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The business had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.31%.

Insider Activity at Unifirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of Unifirst stock in a transaction 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 owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at $1,534,745.94. The trade was a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unifirst

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Unifirst by 7.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 27,152 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $4,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unifirst by 13.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Unifirst by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,966 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,560,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unifirst by 37.3% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 105,331 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $18,328,000 after acquiring an additional 28,589 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Unifirst by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 34,914 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares in the last quarter. 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).