Aristides Capital LLC Makes New Investment in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,000 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 336.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,582 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 14,325 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in UniFirst during the 1st quarter valued at about $693,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in UniFirst during the first quarter valued at approximately $479,000. M&G Plc bought a new position in UniFirst in the first quarter worth approximately $19,842,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in UniFirst in the first quarter worth approximately $272,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UniFirst from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $185.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.00.

UniFirst Stock Up 3.3 %

UNF opened at $198.65 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $187.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.58. The company has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00 and a beta of 0.81. UniFirst Co. has a 52-week low of $149.58 and a 52-week high of $199.67.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $96,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,095,325. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other UniFirst news, EVP William Masters Ross sold 225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.67, for a total transaction of $40,650.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $728,822.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David Martin Katz sold 550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $96,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,095,325. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,457 shares of company stock valued at $269,413. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UniFirst Company 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.