Atria Investments Inc Boosts Stock Position in Unifirst Corporation $UNF

Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,461 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Unifirst were worth $1,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Unifirst by 474.1% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Unifirst by 59.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Unifirst in the first quarter valued at $70,000. Vestcor Inc acquired a new position in Unifirst in the first quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Unifirst in the first quarter valued at $104,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Unifirst Stock Performance

Shares of UNF opened at $151.70 on Thursday. Unifirst Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $150.32 and a fifty-two week high of $243.70. The company has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.25.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.13. Unifirst had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 7.11%. The business had revenue of $614.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Unifirst Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This is an increase from Unifirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Unifirst’s payout ratio is 18.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group set a $182.00 price objective on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Unifirst from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $174.75.

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.