Brokerages Set Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) Target Price at $181.00

Shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $181.00.

UNF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 target price on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNF. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Unifirst in the 4th quarter worth approximately $99,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 7,115 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,373,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,490 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,638,000 after buying an additional 3,840 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Unifirst during the fourth quarter worth $4,764,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 1,734 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unifirst Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of UNF stock opened at $210.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $181.86 and its 200 day moving average is $173.92. Unifirst has a 52-week low of $147.66 and a 52-week high of $231.73.

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

Unifirst Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.31%.

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).