UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $194.00 to $196.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the textile maker's stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on UNF. StockNews.com lowered UniFirst from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of UniFirst from $218.00 to $197.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $180.00.

UniFirst Price Performance

NYSE:UNF traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $162.37. 31,224 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 100,074. UniFirst has a one year low of $149.58 and a one year high of $243.70. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $203.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.07. The company has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69 and a beta of 0.88.

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UniFirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 2nd. The textile maker reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The company had revenue of $602.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $602.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that UniFirst will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. UniFirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNF. SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in UniFirst by 3.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,936 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in UniFirst by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 740 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of UniFirst by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,231 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of UniFirst by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 8,140 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,393,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

About UniFirst

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.