Brandes Investment Partners LP Purchases 5,659 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,001 shares of the textile maker's stock after buying an additional 5,659 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP owned approximately 0.17% of UniFirst worth $5,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in UniFirst by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 367 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in UniFirst by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,936 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in UniFirst by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 740 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in UniFirst by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 8,140 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in UniFirst by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 790 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNF traded down $4.89 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $200.08. 69,754 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 87,990. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59 and a beta of 0.89. The company's fifty day moving average is $215.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.76. UniFirst Co. has a fifty-two week low of $149.58 and a fifty-two week high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $604.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $606.60 million. UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The company's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. Research analysts forecast that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. UniFirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In other UniFirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total value of $274,024.05. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,361,682.25. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNF shares. StockNews.com lowered UniFirst from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th.

UniFirst Profile

UniFirst Corporation provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company operates through U.S. and Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid segments. It designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments.