Troluce Capital Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Unifirst Corporation $UNF

Key Points

• Troluce Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in UniFirst Corporation valued at approximately $530,000, representing around 0.2% of its investment portfolio.
• UniFirst recently reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $610.78 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35, leading to an annualized dividend yield of 0.8% for shareholders.

Troluce Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,048 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $530,000. Unifirst makes up about 0.2% of Troluce Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNF. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Unifirst by 59.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 227 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Unifirst by 88.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 266 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the first quarter worth approximately $87,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the fourth quarter worth approximately $104,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unifirst in the first quarter worth approximately $104,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNF shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Unifirst from $196.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $152.00 price target on shares of Unifirst and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $197.00 price objective on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $179.50.

Unifirst Stock Up 2.2%

UNF stock traded up $3.84 during trading on Thursday, hitting $179.12. 63,856 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 128,393. Unifirst Corporation has a 52 week low of $156.34 and a 52 week high of $243.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $175.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00 and a beta of 0.86.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 2nd. The textile maker reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.04. Unifirst had a net margin of 6.18% and a return on equity of 7.35%. The firm had revenue of $610.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $614.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unifirst has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.600-8.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unifirst Corporation will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unifirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Unifirst's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.20%.

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.