Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $611,000 Position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its stake in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF - Free Report) by 89.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,341 shares of the textile maker's stock after selling 27,430 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in UniFirst were worth $611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in UniFirst by 4.1% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 16,104 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $2,967,000 after buying an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 52.7% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 7,984 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 2,755 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 50,022 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $9,218,000 after purchasing an additional 4,452 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 13.9% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 13,111 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of UniFirst by 1.8% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 13,967 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $2,574,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In other news, EVP William Masters Ross sold 2,282 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.27, for a total transaction of $399,966.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at $707,039.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UNF shares. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of UniFirst from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of UniFirst from $184.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on UniFirst from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.75.

UniFirst Price Performance

Shares of UNF traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $164.50. The stock had a trading volume of 82,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,547. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84 and a beta of 0.82. The company's fifty day moving average is $169.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.90. UniFirst Co. has a 52 week low of $150.50 and a 52 week high of $187.22.

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.