William Blair Brokers Lift Earnings Estimates for UniFirst

UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at William Blair raised their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for UniFirst in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 2nd. William Blair analyst T. Mulrooney now anticipates that the textile maker will post earnings of $2.12 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.99. The consensus estimate for UniFirst's current full-year earnings is $7.71 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for UniFirst's Q4 2025 earnings at $2.02 EPS.

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UNF. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 target price (down from $180.00) on shares of UniFirst in a report on Friday, April 4th. UBS Group lifted their price target on UniFirst from $194.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of UniFirst from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $180.00.

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UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNF traded up $3.21 during trading on Monday, hitting $173.20. The company had a trading volume of 212,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 102,087. UniFirst has a 52 week low of $149.58 and a 52 week high of $243.70. The business's 50-day moving average is $197.62 and its 200 day moving average is $197.09. The company has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15 and a beta of 0.88.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. UniFirst's payout ratio is 17.41%.

UniFirst declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 8th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the textile maker to buy up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the business'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 transaction of $274,024.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UniFirst

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SageView Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in 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. raised its stake in shares of UniFirst by 10.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings 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 valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of UniFirst by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 8,140 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,393,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company's stock.

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.