Unifirst (UNF) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a leading provider of workplace uniforms and protective clothing rental services in North America and Europe. The company designs, manufactures and launder uniforms for a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, healthcare and food processing. In addition to uniforms, UniFirst offers a suite of facility services such as floor mats, restroom supplies, towels, cleaning chemicals and safety products, all delivered through a network of service centers and localized delivery routes.

Core offerings from UniFirst include customized uniform programs tailored to company branding and functional needs, advanced laundering and inspection processes to ensure compliance with safety and hygiene standards, and managed inventory systems that streamline customer operations. The company also develops flame-resistant and high-visibility garments for workers in hazardous environments, alongside seasonal apparel for industries requiring specialized temperature control or protective features.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, UniFirst operates more than 350 service centers across the United States, Canada and Europe. Its regional presence allows the company to serve small businesses and Fortune 500 firms alike, adapting service frequency, garment style and delivery schedules to individual client requirements. UniFirst’s steady expansion into new markets has been supported by strategic acquisitions and investments in state-of-the-art laundry facilities, enhancing its ability to support multi-site customers with consistent quality.

Founded in 1936, UniFirst has grown from a family-owned workwear launderer into a publicly traded corporation renowned for operational excellence and customer service. Over the decades, the company has leveraged innovation in textile care and logistics to broaden its product suite and geographic reach. Today, under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer D. Bradley Gerstenberger and a seasoned executive team, UniFirst continues to focus on sustainable practices, technology-driven solutions and long-term partnerships with clients across diverse industries.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $170.32 to $173.10
• 50-Day Range: $169.93 to $189.97
• 52-Week Range: $156.34 to $243.70
• Volume: 171,838 shs
• Average Volume: 108,801 shs
• Market Capitalization: $3.19 billion
• P/E Ratio: 21.13
• Dividend Yield: 0.81%
• Price Target: $181.00
• Consensus Rating: Reduce

Unifirst Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Unifirst scored higher than 79% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 69th out of 182 stocks in the industrials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 0.8 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Reduce

Consensus Rating

Unifirst has received a consensus rating of Reduce. The company's average rating score is 1.67, and is based on no buy ratings, 2 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Unifirst has only been the subject of 2 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 12.58%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Unifirst are expected to grow by 12.58% in the coming year, from $7.71 to $8.68 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Unifirst is 21.13, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.93.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Unifirst is 21.13, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Industrials sector average P/E ratio of about 24.94.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Unifirst has a P/B Ratio of 1.47. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.97% of the float of Unifirst has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Unifirst has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.1, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Unifirst has recently increased by 6.14%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

Unifirst has a dividend yield of 0.82%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Unifirst has been increasing its dividend for 7 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Unifirst is 17.20%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Unifirst will have a dividend payout ratio of 16.13% next year. This indicates that Unifirst will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 3.2 / 5
• Environmental Score: -2.16

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.97% of the float of Unifirst has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Unifirst has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.1, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Unifirst has recently increased by 6.14%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.1 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.67

News Sentiment

Unifirst has a news sentiment score of 0.67. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.53 average news sentiment score of Industrials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 16 news articles for Unifirst this week, compared to 7 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

3 people have searched for UNF on MarketBeat in the last 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 1 people have added Unifirst to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Unifirst insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.86% of the stock of Unifirst is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

78.17% of the stock of Unifirst is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

UNF Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have UNF shares performed this year?

Unifirst's stock was trading at $171.09 at the beginning of the year. Since then, UNF stock has increased by 0.5% and is now trading at $172.01.

How were Unifirst's earnings last quarter?

Unifirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July, 2nd. The textile maker reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.04. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Is Unifirst buying back stock?

Unifirst's board initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, April 8th 2025, which allows the company to repurchase $100,000,000 in outstanding shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could reacquire up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Who are Unifirst's major shareholders?

Unifirst's top institutional investors include Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. (0.05%). Insiders that own company stock include Cecelia Levenstein, Steven S Sintros, The Ronald D Croatti Trust - 1, Matthew Croatti, David A Difillippo, David Martin Katz, Michael A Croatti, Michael Iandoli, William Masters Ross, Shane O'connor and Kathleen M Camilli.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Unifirst?

Shares of UNF stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Unifirst own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Unifirst investors own include JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Tesla (TSLA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Meta Platforms (META), Visa (V), NVIDIA (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOG).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 6/27 Dividend: 6/06/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 6/27 Dividend: 6/06/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/27/2025
• Last Earnings: 7/02/2025
• Today: 7/09/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 8/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: UNIFORM & RELATED
• Sub-Industry: Diversified Support Services
• Current Symbol: NYSE:UNF
• CIK: 717954
• Web: www.unifirst.com
• Phone: (978) 658-8888
• Fax: 978-988-0659
• Employees: 16,000
• Year Founded: 1936

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Unifirst: $181.00
• High Price Target: $197.00
• Low Price Target: $152.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +5.2%
• Consensus Rating: Reduce
• Rating Score (0-4): 1.67
• Research Coverage: 3 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $8.14
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 21.13
• Forward P/E Ratio: 22.31
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $145.47 million
• Net Margins: 6.18%
• Pretax Margin: 8.18%
• Return on Equity: 7.35%
• Return on Assets: 5.78%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 3.51
• Quick Ratio: 2.96

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.43 billion
• Price / Sales: 1.32
• Cash Flow: $16.14 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 10.66
• Book Value: $117.14 per share
• Price / Book: 1.47

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 18,570,000
• Free Float: 18,405,000
• Market Cap: $3.19 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.86