UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Purchased by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 654,495 shares of the textile maker's stock after buying an additional 32,447 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 3.52% of UniFirst worth $130,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNF. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 110,646 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $21,287,000 after acquiring an additional 2,952 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in UniFirst during the third quarter valued at about $287,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in UniFirst by 4.9% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 6,905 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC raised its holdings in UniFirst by 1.2% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 111,928 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $22,274,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 20.1% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,221 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $640,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UniFirst from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $186.25.

UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNF traded down $1.19 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $199.04. 37,984 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 85,035. The company has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.62 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.17. UniFirst Co. has a 1 year low of $149.58 and a 1 year high of $205.38.

UniFirst Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from UniFirst's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. UniFirst's payout ratio is currently 16.99%.

UniFirst Company 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.