Renaissance Technologies LLC Acquires Shares of 2,400 UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,400 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $412,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNF. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UniFirst by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,690,940 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $309,290,000 after buying an additional 12,138 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UniFirst in the 4th quarter worth $288,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC bought a new position in shares of UniFirst during the first quarter valued at $513,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in UniFirst by 336.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,582 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,223,000 after buying an additional 14,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pullen Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UniFirst in the first quarter worth approximately $473,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 550 shares of the firm’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 sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,095,325. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $96,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,095,325. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $728,822.78. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,457 shares of company stock worth $269,413 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Price Performance

Shares of UNF stock opened at $184.59 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $187.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.75. UniFirst Co. has a one year low of $149.58 and a one year high of $200.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95 and a beta of 0.81.

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.