Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 1,507 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 143,410 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 1,507 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $24,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in UniFirst by 1,105.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 229 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 252.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 345 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 187.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of UniFirst by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 367 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th.

Insider Transactions at UniFirst

In other news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at $1,361,682.25. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Price Performance

NYSE:UNF opened at $205.17 on Tuesday. UniFirst Co. has a one year low of $149.58 and a one year high of $243.70. The company has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $215.98 and a 200-day moving average of $198.60.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm had revenue of $604.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.90%.

About UniFirst

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.