Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• Unifirst reported quarterly earnings of $2.28 EPS, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.15, with revenue of $614.45 million, also exceeding estimates.
• The company's revenue decreased by 4.0% year-over-year, and it updated its FY 2026 guidance to between $6.580 - $6.980 EPS.
• Unifirst declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, indicating an annualized dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 17.20%.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The textile maker reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.13, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $614.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.02 million. Unifirst had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 6.18%.Unifirst's revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.39 earnings per share. Unifirst updated its FY 2026 guidance to 6.580-6.980 EPS.

Unifirst Price Performance

Shares of Unifirst stock traded down $8.95 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $164.43. The company had a trading volume of 322,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,574. Unifirst has a one year low of $154.00 and a one year high of $243.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.24. The firm has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20 and a beta of 0.86.

Unifirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. Unifirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNF. Robert W. Baird set a $197.00 price target on Unifirst in a research report on Monday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Unifirst in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on Unifirst from $194.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays set a $152.00 price target on Unifirst and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $178.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unifirst

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Unifirst by 7.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 27,152 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $4,724,000 after buying an additional 1,974 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Unifirst by 13.4% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $882,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Unifirst by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,966 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,560,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Unifirst by 37.3% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 105,331 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $18,328,000 after buying an additional 28,589 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Unifirst by 3.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 34,914 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $6,075,000 after buying an additional 1,326 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Unifirst

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.

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