Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 13,782 Shares of UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 157,085 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,782 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $30,302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 378.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 474.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 1,244.0% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 336 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of UNF stock opened at $271.48 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $259.38 and a 200-day moving average of $227.60. The firm has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 36.79 and a beta of 0.63. UniFirst Corporation has a 12 month low of $147.66 and a 12 month high of $283.77.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The textile maker reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $622.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $614.91 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 5.49% and a return on equity of 6.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded UniFirst from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Barclays upped their price target on UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on UniFirst from $206.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.25.

UniFirst Company Profile

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a leading provider of customized uniform rental and facility service programs in North America and Europe. The company specializes in the rental, laundering and maintenance of workwear, corporate apparel and protective garments for a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, healthcare and food processing. UniFirst also offers a suite of facility service products such as entrance mats, restroom supplies, wipers, mops and hygienic services designed to help customers maintain clean and safe environments.

In addition to its core uniform rental business, UniFirst has expanded its product portfolio to include safety and first-responder gear, flame-resistant clothing, high-visibility apparel and personal protective equipment (PPE).