Unifirst (UNF) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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). The company’s integrated service model combines dedicated delivery routes, state-of-the-art processing facilities and customer-specific inventory management to ensure garments and supplies are cleaned, inspected and replaced on a consistent schedule. UniFirst’s facility service offerings extend to mat rental and laundering, restroom cleaning and supplies, and hygiene services that support regulatory compliance and workplace safety.

Founded in 1936 and headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, UniFirst has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. The company operates more than 290 service centers across the United States, Canada and parts of Western Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Belgium. In July 2021, UniFirst completed the acquisition of AmeriPride Services, further extending its geographic footprint and adding complementary service capabilities to its existing network.

UniFirst is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Sintros, whose tenure has focused on enhancing operational efficiency, expanding service offerings and strengthening customer relationships. Under his leadership, the company continues to invest in advanced textile processing technologies, route optimization software and sustainable laundering practices. UniFirst’s board and executive team combine industry expertise and operational experience to position the company for long-term growth in the uniform rental and facility services market.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $169.24 to $173.74
• 50-Day Range: $169.59 to $179.12
• 52-Week Range: $156.34 to $243.70
• Volume: 118,010 shs
• Average Volume: 85,706 shs
• Market Capitalization: $3.14 billion
• P/E Ratio: 20.83
• Dividend Yield: 0.83%
• Price Target: $179.50
• Consensus Rating: Reduce

Unifirst Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Unifirst scored higher than 87% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 52nd out of 183 stocks in the industrials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 1.8 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Reduce

Consensus Rating

Unifirst has received a consensus rating of Reduce. The company's average rating score is 1.50, and is based on no buy ratings, 2 hold ratings, and 2 sell ratings.

Upside/Downside

The consensus price target for Unifirst is close to its current price, suggesting limited near-term upside or downside.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Unifirst has only been the subject of 3 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 12.58%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Unifirst are expected to grow by 12.58% in the coming year, from $7.71 to $8.68 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Unifirst is 20.83, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 281.86.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Unifirst is 20.83, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Industrials sector average P/E ratio of about 307.02.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Unifirst has a P/B Ratio of 1.50. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.13% of the float of Unifirst has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Unifirst has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Unifirst has recently decreased by 14.10%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

Unifirst has a dividend yield of 0.82%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Unifirst has been increasing its dividend for 7 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Unifirst is 17.20%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Unifirst will have a dividend payout ratio of 16.13% next year. This indicates that Unifirst will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 3.2 / 5
• Environmental Score: -2.16

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.13% of the float of Unifirst has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Unifirst has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Unifirst has recently decreased by 14.10%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.62

News Sentiment

Unifirst has a news sentiment score of 1.62. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.67 average news sentiment score of Industrials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 3 news articles for Unifirst this week, compared to 7 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Unifirst insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.86% of the stock of Unifirst is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

78.17% of the stock of Unifirst is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

UNF Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have UNF shares performed this year?

Unifirst's stock was trading at $171.09 at the beginning of the year. Since then, UNF shares have decreased by 0.9% and is now trading at $169.59.

How were Unifirst's earnings last quarter?

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July, 2nd. The textile maker reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.04. Unifirst's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Is Unifirst buying back stock?

Unifirst's board authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 8th 2025, which authorizes the company to repurchase $100,000,000 in shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could reacquire up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Who are Unifirst's major shareholders?

Unifirst's top institutional investors include London Co. of Virginia (5.11%), River Road Asset Management LLC (4.28%), State Street Corp (3.13%) and Geode Capital Management LLC (1.97%). Insiders that own company stock include Cecelia Levenstein, Steven S Sintros, The Ronald D Croatti Trust - 1, Matthew Croatti, David A Difillippo, David Martin Katz, Michael A Croatti, Michael Iandoli, William Masters Ross, Shane O'connor and Kathleen M Camilli.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Unifirst?

Shares of UNF stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Unifirst own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Unifirst investors own include JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Tesla (TSLA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Meta Platforms (META), Visa (V), NVIDIA (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOG).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 6/27 Dividend: 6/06/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 6/27 Dividend: 6/06/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/27/2025
• Last Earnings: 7/02/2025
• Record date for 9/26 Dividend: 9/05/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 9/26 Dividend: 9/05/2025
• Today: 9/18/2025
• Dividend Payable: 9/26/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/22/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 8/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: UNIFORM & RELATED
• Sub-Industry: Diversified Support Services
• Current Symbol: NYSE:UNF
• CIK: 717954
• Web: www.unifirst.com
• Phone: (978) 658-8888
• Fax: 978-988-0659
• Employees: 16,000
• Year Founded: 1936

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Unifirst: $179.50
• High Price Target: $197.00
• Low Price Target: $152.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +5.8%
• Consensus Rating: Reduce
• Rating Score (0-4): 1.50
• Research Coverage: 4 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $8.14
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 20.83
• Forward P/E Ratio: 22.00
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $145.47 million
• Net Margins: 6.18%
• Pretax Margin: 8.18%
• Return on Equity: 7.35%
• Return on Assets: 5.78%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 3.51
• Quick Ratio: 2.96

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.43 billion
• Price / Sales: 1.30
• Cash Flow: $15.78 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 10.75
• Book Value: $113.42 per share
• Price / Book: 1.50

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 18,540,000
• Free Float: 18,384,000
• Market Cap: $3.14 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.86