Topline Capital Management LLC Acquires 47,819 Shares of UniFirst Corporation $UNF

Topline Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 122,381 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,819 shares during the quarter. UniFirst accounts for approximately 3.5% of Topline Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Topline Capital Management LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $20,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in UniFirst by 0.5% during the second quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 793,765 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $149,402,000 after buying an additional 4,339 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in UniFirst by 1.3% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 772,667 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $129,181,000 after acquiring an additional 9,576 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in UniFirst by 1.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 364,411 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $68,598,000 after acquiring an additional 3,586 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in UniFirst by 60.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,341 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $51,384,000 after acquiring an additional 115,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UniFirst during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,684,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UniFirst Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE UNF opened at $273.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.15 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $224.01 and its 200-day moving average is $189.28. UniFirst Corporation has a 12-month low of $147.66 and a 12-month high of $283.77.

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

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UniFirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price objective on UniFirst in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of UniFirst in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on UniFirst from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $214.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,534,745.94. The trade was a 18.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

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).