UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Bought by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) by 22.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,588 shares of the textile maker's stock after purchasing an additional 6,078 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.18% of UniFirst worth $5,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNF. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in UniFirst by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 740 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in UniFirst by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,231 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in UniFirst by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 8,140 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,393,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in UniFirst by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 790 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UniFirst Trading Down 0.2%

UNF traded down $0.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $188.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 174,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,923. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10 and a beta of 0.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $179.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.47. UniFirst Co. has a twelve month low of $149.58 and a twelve month high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 2nd. The textile maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $602.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $602.81 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 7.40%. UniFirst's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the textile maker to repurchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. UniFirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNF has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of UniFirst from $194.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of UniFirst from $218.00 to $197.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 price objective (down previously from $180.00) on shares of UniFirst in a report on Friday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UniFirst presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $180.00.

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.