Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Purchases New Shares in UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 24,699 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $4,764,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNF. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the second quarter worth $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in UniFirst by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in UniFirst during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

UniFirst Trading Down 1.0%

UniFirst stock opened at $248.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 32.93 and a beta of 0.69. UniFirst Corporation has a 1 year low of $147.66 and a 1 year high of $283.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $236.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.43.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $615.23 million. UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Research analysts forecast that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. UniFirst’s payout ratio is presently 19.31%.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,534,745.94. This represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

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).