UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• 52-week high: UniFirst shares jumped to a new 52-week high, trading as high as $276.60 (last near $277.14) on Wednesday with volume around 118,275 shares, lifting its market cap to about $4.98 billion.
• Analysts remain cautious overall—the stock carries a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average price target of $207.25, despite several firms recently raising targets or issuing neutral/hold ratings.
• Quarterly results showed EPS missed expectations ($1.89 vs. $2.05) while revenue modestly beat ($621.3M); UniFirst set FY2026 EPS guidance of 6.58–6.98 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.365 (≈0.5% yield).

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $276.60 and last traded at $277.1390, with a volume of 118275 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $257.91.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on UNF shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UniFirst from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays raised UniFirst from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $250.00 in a report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on UniFirst from $182.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $198.00 price target on UniFirst in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of UniFirst in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $207.25.

UniFirst Stock Up 6.9%

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $219.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.40. The company has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.45 and a beta of 0.69.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The textile maker reported $1.89 EPS 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%.UniFirst's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. UniFirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UniFirst Corporation will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. UniFirst's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.31%.

Insider Transactions at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.54, for a total value of $347,758.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,534,745.94. This represents a 18.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,597,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 13,732 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the third quarter worth about $18,177,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 93.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 20,507 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $3,429,000 after purchasing an additional 9,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Engine Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $11,688,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company's stock.

UniFirst Company Profile

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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