UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Stock Holdings Lifted by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,472 shares of the textile maker’s stock after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $1,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNF. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in UniFirst in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,576,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the third quarter valued at approximately $10,270,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of UniFirst by 464.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,188,000 after buying an additional 33,919 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UniFirst by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 365,047 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $62,456,000 after buying an additional 32,860 shares during the period. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in UniFirst by 173.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 47,968 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $9,529,000 after buying an additional 30,458 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Stock Performance

NYSE UNF opened at $169.30 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $213.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 0.89. UniFirst Co. has a 1 year low of $149.58 and a 1 year high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.09. UniFirst had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The company had revenue of $604.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $606.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNF shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on UniFirst from $235.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total transaction of $274,024.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Profile

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.