UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,600 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.16% of UniFirst worth $5,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in UniFirst during the 4th quarter valued at about $24,576,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst during the third quarter worth approximately $10,270,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of UniFirst by 464.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,188,000 after buying an additional 33,919 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in UniFirst by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 365,047 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $62,456,000 after buying an additional 32,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in UniFirst by 173.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 47,968 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $9,529,000 after acquiring an additional 30,458 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total value of $274,024.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,361,682.25. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNF. UBS Group increased their price target on UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

UniFirst Stock Performance

Shares of UNF stock opened at $196.35 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of 25.11 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s fifty day moving average is $214.43 and its 200-day moving average is $199.07. UniFirst Co. has a 1 year low of $149.58 and a 1 year high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.09. UniFirst had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The firm had revenue of $604.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.26 earnings per share. UniFirst’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. UniFirst’s payout ratio is 17.90%.

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.