Unifirst Corporation $UNF Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 24.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,245 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 5,145 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Unifirst were worth $2,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNF. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in Unifirst by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,576 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Unifirst by 181.2% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 21,311 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,563,000 after acquiring an additional 13,732 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in shares of Unifirst by 9.9% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 4,882 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $816,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Unifirst by 2.5% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 34,055 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $5,694,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Unifirst by 96.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 687 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unifirst Stock Performance

Shares of UNF opened at $200.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.46 and a beta of 0.72. Unifirst Corporation has a 1 year low of $147.66 and a 1 year high of $222.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $195.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $177.56.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 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 firm had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 EPS. Unifirst’s revenue for the quarter 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 given a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UNF shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. 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 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. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unifirst has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $181.00.

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).