UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Upgraded at StockNews.com

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $184.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of UniFirst from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.75.

UniFirst Stock Performance

UniFirst stock opened at $159.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $166.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12 and a beta of 0.83. UniFirst has a 52-week low of $150.50 and a 52-week high of $187.22.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The textile maker reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.19). UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.19% and a net margin of 4.92%. The company had revenue of $590.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.56 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UniFirst will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at UniFirst

In related news, EVP William Masters Ross sold 2,282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.27, for a total transaction of $399,966.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,039.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UniFirst

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in UniFirst by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 195,832 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $31,923,000 after buying an additional 8,734 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in UniFirst by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 825 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in UniFirst by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 106,946 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $17,433,000 after acquiring an additional 3,023 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al lifted its stake in UniFirst by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 36,782 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $5,996,000 after purchasing an additional 14,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in UniFirst by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 424,650 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $69,222,000 after purchasing an additional 20,708 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.