Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,596 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNF. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 365,047 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $62,456,000 after purchasing an additional 32,860 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in UniFirst by 1.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 349,298 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $69,401,000 after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 237,308 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $40,601,000 after acquiring an additional 7,559 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of UniFirst during the fourth quarter worth about $24,576,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 127,700 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $21,848,000 after acquiring an additional 2,198 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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UniFirst Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNF traded down $4.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $173.77. 160,086 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,363. UniFirst Co. has a fifty-two week low of $149.58 and a fifty-two week high of $243.70. The firm has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.81.

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

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. UniFirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group cut their price target on UniFirst from $235.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. StockNews.com cut UniFirst from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

Insider Activity

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

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.