David Martin Katz Sells 1,299 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Stock

UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total value of $274,024.05. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,361,682.25. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

UniFirst Price Performance

UNF stock opened at $214.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.38 and a beta of 0.89. UniFirst Co. has a 12 month low of $149.58 and a 12 month high of $243.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $205.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.63.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.09. UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm had revenue of $604.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UniFirst

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNF. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of UniFirst by 1,105.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 229 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 252.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 345 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in UniFirst by 187.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 359 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in UniFirst by 16.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 367 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $197.50.

UniFirst Company 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.