David Martin Katz Sells 1,464 Shares of Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Stock

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 6,461 shares in the company, 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 available at this hyperlink.

Unifirst Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of Unifirst stock opened at $235.38 on Friday. Unifirst Corporation has a twelve month low of $147.66 and a twelve month high of $243.45. The stock has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.14 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s fifty day moving average is $205.03 and its 200 day moving average is $181.10.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unifirst by 0.5% in the second quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 793,765 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $149,402,000 after purchasing an additional 4,339 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Unifirst by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,418 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $151,895,000 after purchasing an additional 14,751 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Unifirst by 640.5% in the fourth quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 459,871 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $88,709,000 after buying an additional 397,772 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Unifirst by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 451,194 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $87,035,000 after purchasing an additional 143,853 shares during the period. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its holdings in Unifirst by 164.2% during the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 367,786 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $70,946,000 after buying an additional 228,586 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on UNF shares. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a report on Thursday, January 8th. 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 report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Zacks Research raised Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unifirst presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $181.00.

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).