Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 6,352 Shares of UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 21st, 2026

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF – Free Report) by 7.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 92,841 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 6,352 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $23,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNF. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in UniFirst by 11,454.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 20,682 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $5,203,000 after acquiring an additional 20,503 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the 1st quarter worth approximately $887,000. Burney Co. raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Burney Co. now owns 4,329 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in UniFirst in the first quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in UniFirst by 38.8% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,397 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $855,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Trading Down 0.5%

UNF stock opened at $290.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $268.02 and a 200-day moving average of $248.38. UniFirst Corporation has a 12 month low of $147.66 and a 12 month high of $295.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.75 and a beta of 0.63.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 1st. The textile maker reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by ($0.84). UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.44% and a net margin of 4.65%.The firm had revenue of $634.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $627.66 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on UNF shares. Weiss Ratings lowered UniFirst from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group set a $262.00 price objective on UniFirst in a report on Monday, July 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $246.67.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on UNF

UniFirst Profile

(Free Report)

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).