Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $1.60 Million in Unifirst Corporation $UNF

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP initiated a new stake in Unifirst (NYSE:UNF), buying 9,551 shares worth roughly $1.60 million, equal to about 0.05% of the company.
• Other institutions also moved in: TimesSquare Capital and Engine Capital opened large new positions (~$18.18M and $11.69M), AlphaQuest boosted its stake by 181%, and overall 78.17% of UNF is held by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Operationally, Unifirst missed quarterly EPS ($1.89 vs. $2.05) while revenue rose 2.7%; management set FY2026 guidance of $6.580–$6.980 EPS, the company declared a $0.365 quarterly dividend (annual $1.46, yield 0.6%), and analysts have a consensus "Reduce" rating with a $181 target.

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,551 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,597,000. Quantbot Technologies LP owned about 0.05% of Unifirst as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNF. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unifirst by 181.2% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 21,311 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $3,563,000 after purchasing an additional 13,732 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unifirst in the 3rd quarter valued at $18,177,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Unifirst by 93.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 20,507 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $3,429,000 after buying an additional 9,881 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Unifirst during the 2nd quarter worth $11,688,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Unifirst by 118.1% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,830 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,864 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unifirst Trading Down 0.5%

UNF stock opened at $231.57 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $214.08 and a 200-day moving average of $184.92. Unifirst Corporation has a 12-month low of $147.66 and a 12-month high of $243.45. The company has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.63 and a beta of 0.69.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $621.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.23 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 5.70%.The business's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Unifirst's payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insider Activity at Unifirst

In other Unifirst news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNF. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Unifirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Unifirst from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unifirst has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $181.00.

About Unifirst

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).

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