UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lowered its position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 6.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,674 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 245 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in UniFirst by 336.5% in the 1st 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 period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its stake in shares of UniFirst by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 13,225 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,294,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,211 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in UniFirst in the 1st quarter valued at $479,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in UniFirst by 326.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,498 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,678 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UniFirst Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:UNF opened at $200.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.83 and a beta of 0.82. UniFirst Co. has a twelve month low of $149.58 and a twelve month high of $201.51. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $188.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.41.

UniFirst Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. This is a positive change from UniFirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded UniFirst from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UniFirst presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.25.

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.