Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 17,098 Shares of UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 143,303 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 17,098 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $23,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNF. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,684,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in UniFirst by 60.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,341 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $51,384,000 after buying an additional 115,802 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in UniFirst during the third quarter worth $18,177,000. Engine Capital Management LP bought a new stake in UniFirst during the second quarter worth $11,688,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in UniFirst by 85.4% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 105,005 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $19,764,000 after acquiring an additional 48,378 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNF. Zacks Research raised shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays raised shares of UniFirst from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $145.00 to $250.00 in a report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on UniFirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $207.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. This represents a 18.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UniFirst Price Performance

NYSE:UNF opened at $258.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.19 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $219.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.40. UniFirst Corporation has a one year low of $147.66 and a one year high of $271.35.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The company had revenue of $621.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

UniFirst 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).