1,508 Shares in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Purchased by EntryPoint Capital LLC

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,508 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $258,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in UniFirst by 1,105.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 229 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of UniFirst by 252.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 345 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of UniFirst by 187.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 359 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 291.6% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UniFirst Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNF opened at $173.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $210.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $198.59. UniFirst Co. has a 52-week low of $149.58 and a 52-week high of $243.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22 and a beta of 0.89.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The textile maker reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.09. UniFirst had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The business had revenue of $604.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $606.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on UNF shares. StockNews.com cut UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on UniFirst from $235.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total transaction of $274,024.05. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.86% 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.