Zacks Research upgraded shares of UniFirst (NYSE:UNF – Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Thursday morning,Zacks reports.
Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group set a $262.00 target price on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.67.
Read Our Latest Report on UniFirst
UniFirst Price Performance
Shares of NYSE UNF opened at $281.39 on Thursday. UniFirst has a 1 year low of $147.66 and a 1 year high of $306.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.82 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $269.52 and its 200 day moving average is $270.03.
UniFirst (NYSE:UNF – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The textile maker reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.04 by ($0.14). UniFirst had a net margin of 4.34% and a return on equity of 6.65%. The firm had revenue of $645.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $634.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that UniFirst will post 8.52 earnings per share for the current year.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNF. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 2.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 584,085 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $154,467,000 after purchasing an additional 16,208 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in UniFirst by 31.9% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 18,267 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $4,596,000 after buying an additional 4,418 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in UniFirst during the second quarter valued at approximately $580,008,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UniFirst during the second quarter valued at approximately $17,165,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in UniFirst during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $868,000. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.
About UniFirst
UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) provides workplace uniforms, workwear rental, and textile services to businesses and organizations. Its offerings include uniform rental and laundering, work garments, protective apparel, floor mats, restroom supplies, first-aid products, and other workplace service programs.
The company also provides specialized apparel and services for industries with particular cleanliness or safety requirements, including healthcare, manufacturing, food processing, and cleanroom environments.
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