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UniFirst (UNF) Competitors

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$290.45 +1.80 (+0.62%)
As of 08/21/2026 03:58 PM Eastern

UNF vs. RBA, OPLN, BGSI, VSTS, and HCSG

Should you buy UniFirst stock or one of its competitors? UniFirst's main competitors and comparable companies include RB Global (RBA), Openlane (OPLN), Boyd Group Services (BGSI), Vestis (VSTS), and Healthcare Services Group (HCSG). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "diversified support services" industry.

How does UniFirst compare to RB Global?

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) and RB Global (NYSE:RBA) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, risk and valuation.

In the previous week, RB Global had 5 more articles in the media than UniFirst. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for RB Global and 5 mentions for UniFirst. UniFirst's average media sentiment score of 1.27 beat RB Global's score of 1.00 indicating that UniFirst is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UniFirst
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
RB Global
9 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

UniFirst pays an annual dividend of $1.46 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. RB Global pays an annual dividend of $1.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. UniFirst pays out 23.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. RB Global pays out 53.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. UniFirst has raised its dividend for 7 consecutive years and RB Global has raised its dividend for 20 consecutive years. RB Global is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

78.2% of UniFirst shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.4% of RB Global shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of UniFirst shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of RB Global shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

UniFirst has a beta of 0.63, suggesting that its share price is 37% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, RB Global has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its share price is 44% less volatile than the broader market.

RB Global has higher revenue and earnings than UniFirst. RB Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UniFirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UniFirst$2.43B2.16$148.27M$6.3445.81
RB Global$4.59B3.51$423.10M$2.3337.33

RB Global has a net margin of 9.99% compared to UniFirst's net margin of 4.65%. RB Global's return on equity of 12.37% beat UniFirst's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UniFirst4.65% 6.44% 5.03%
RB Global 9.99%12.37%5.58%

UniFirst presently has a consensus price target of $246.67, indicating a potential downside of 15.07%. RB Global has a consensus price target of $128.00, indicating a potential upside of 47.18%. Given RB Global's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe RB Global is more favorable than UniFirst.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UniFirst
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
RB Global
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.90

Summary

RB Global beats UniFirst on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UniFirst compare to Openlane?

Openlane (NYSE:OPLN) and UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings and risk.

Openlane has higher earnings, but lower revenue than UniFirst. Openlane is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UniFirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Openlane$1.93B2.12$177.70M-$0.85N/A
UniFirst$2.43B2.16$148.27M$6.3445.81

99.8% of Openlane shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.2% of UniFirst shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Openlane shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of UniFirst shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Openlane has a net margin of 9.67% compared to UniFirst's net margin of 4.65%. Openlane's return on equity of 12.81% beat UniFirst's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Openlane9.67% 12.81% 3.62%
UniFirst 4.65%6.44%5.03%

Openlane presently has a consensus price target of $43.83, suggesting a potential upside of 31.47%. UniFirst has a consensus price target of $246.67, suggesting a potential downside of 15.07%. Given Openlane's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Openlane is more favorable than UniFirst.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Openlane
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
UniFirst
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00

In the previous week, UniFirst had 4 more articles in the media than Openlane. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for UniFirst and 1 mentions for Openlane. UniFirst's average media sentiment score of 1.27 beat Openlane's score of 0.90 indicating that UniFirst is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Openlane
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
UniFirst
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Openlane has a beta of 1.28, suggesting that its stock price is 28% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UniFirst has a beta of 0.63, suggesting that its stock price is 37% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Openlane beats UniFirst on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UniFirst compare to Boyd Group Services?

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) and Boyd Group Services (NYSE:BGSI) are both mid-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership and risk.

UniFirst pays an annual dividend of $1.46 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Boyd Group Services pays an annual dividend of $0.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. UniFirst pays out 23.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Boyd Group Services pays out 95.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. UniFirst has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. UniFirst is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

UniFirst has a beta of 0.63, suggesting that its stock price is 37% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Boyd Group Services has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the broader market.

UniFirst has a net margin of 4.65% compared to Boyd Group Services' net margin of 0.25%. UniFirst's return on equity of 6.44% beat Boyd Group Services' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UniFirst4.65% 6.44% 5.03%
Boyd Group Services 0.25%5.21%2.07%

In the previous week, UniFirst had 4 more articles in the media than Boyd Group Services. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for UniFirst and 1 mentions for Boyd Group Services. UniFirst's average media sentiment score of 1.27 beat Boyd Group Services' score of 0.20 indicating that UniFirst is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UniFirst
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Boyd Group Services
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

UniFirst currently has a consensus price target of $246.67, suggesting a potential downside of 15.07%. Boyd Group Services has a consensus price target of $157.00, suggesting a potential upside of 78.00%. Given Boyd Group Services' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Boyd Group Services is more favorable than UniFirst.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UniFirst
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
Boyd Group Services
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

78.2% of UniFirst shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Boyd Group Services shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of UniFirst shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

UniFirst has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Boyd Group Services. UniFirst is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Boyd Group Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UniFirst$2.43B2.16$148.27M$6.3445.81
Boyd Group Services$3.14B0.78$18.42M$0.46191.74

Summary

UniFirst beats Boyd Group Services on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UniFirst compare to Vestis?

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) and Vestis (NYSE:VSTS) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

UniFirst has a beta of 0.63, indicating that its stock price is 37% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Vestis has a beta of 0.97, indicating that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the broader market.

UniFirst currently has a consensus price target of $246.67, suggesting a potential downside of 15.07%. Vestis has a consensus price target of $12.66, suggesting a potential downside of 0.47%. Given Vestis' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Vestis is more favorable than UniFirst.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UniFirst
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
Vestis
4 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.63

UniFirst has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Vestis. Vestis is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UniFirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UniFirst$2.43B2.16$148.27M$6.3445.81
Vestis$2.70B0.62-$40.22M-$0.05N/A

78.2% of UniFirst shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.4% of Vestis shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of UniFirst shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.7% of Vestis shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

UniFirst pays an annual dividend of $1.46 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vestis pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. UniFirst pays out 23.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vestis pays out -280.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. UniFirst has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. Vestis is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, UniFirst had 2 more articles in the media than Vestis. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for UniFirst and 3 mentions for Vestis. UniFirst's average media sentiment score of 1.27 beat Vestis' score of 0.44 indicating that UniFirst is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UniFirst
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Vestis
0 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

UniFirst has a net margin of 4.65% compared to Vestis' net margin of -0.20%. Vestis' return on equity of 7.27% beat UniFirst's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UniFirst4.65% 6.44% 5.03%
Vestis -0.20%7.27%2.20%

Summary

UniFirst beats Vestis on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UniFirst compare to Healthcare Services Group?

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) and Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment and risk.

UniFirst currently has a consensus target price of $246.67, suggesting a potential downside of 15.07%. Healthcare Services Group has a consensus target price of $26.50, suggesting a potential upside of 16.38%. Given Healthcare Services Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Healthcare Services Group is more favorable than UniFirst.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UniFirst
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.00
Healthcare Services Group
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89

78.2% of UniFirst shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.0% of Healthcare Services Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of UniFirst shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.9% of Healthcare Services Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

UniFirst has higher revenue and earnings than Healthcare Services Group. Healthcare Services Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UniFirst, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UniFirst$2.43B2.16$148.27M$6.3445.81
Healthcare Services Group$1.84B0.85$59.06M$1.7213.24

UniFirst has a beta of 0.63, meaning that its share price is 37% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Healthcare Services Group has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its share price is 19% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, UniFirst and UniFirst both had 5 articles in the media. Healthcare Services Group's average media sentiment score of 1.28 beat UniFirst's score of 1.27 indicating that Healthcare Services Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UniFirst
5 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Healthcare Services Group
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Healthcare Services Group has a net margin of 6.59% compared to UniFirst's net margin of 4.65%. Healthcare Services Group's return on equity of 18.97% beat UniFirst's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UniFirst4.65% 6.44% 5.03%
Healthcare Services Group 6.59%18.97%11.96%

Summary

Healthcare Services Group beats UniFirst on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding UNF and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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UNF vs. The Competition

MetricUniFirstCommercial Services & Supplies IndustryIndustrials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$5.25B$4.26B$10.69B$24.30B
Dividend Yield0.50%5.07%97.12%3.70%
P/E Ratio45.8129.1626.6930.31
Price / Sales2.161,058.49328.8019.95
Price / Cash18.0122.4524.4732.49
Price / Book2.444.194.496.77
Net Income$148.27M$146.38M$612.35M$1.07B
7 Day Performance1.34%-0.66%-1.41%-0.65%
1 Month Performance0.02%1.90%2.54%3.38%
1 Year Performance62.52%5.88%12.36%14.90%

UniFirst Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
UNF
UniFirst
2.1706 of 5 stars
$290.45
+0.6%
$246.67
-15.1%
+62.5%$5.25B$2.43B45.8116,000
RBA
RB Global
4.8239 of 5 stars
$82.12
-2.5%
$128.00
+55.9%
-25.2%$15.60B$4.59B35.248,700
OPLN
Openlane
4.5018 of 5 stars
$35.02
-1.4%
$43.83
+25.2%
N/A$4.36B$1.93BN/A4,800
BGSI
Boyd Group Services
3.0531 of 5 stars
$91.98
-3.2%
$157.00
+70.7%
N/A$2.65B$3.14B199.9616,300
VSTS
Vestis
1.7297 of 5 stars
$13.35
+0.2%
$12.66
-5.2%
+167.5%$1.76B$2.73BN/A18,150

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This page (NYSE:UNF) was last updated on 8/23/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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