Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Takes Position in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,448 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $287,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 1,627.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 190 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in UniFirst by 60.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in UniFirst by 69.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 414 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in UniFirst in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $92,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in UniFirst during the 3rd quarter valued at $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on UNF shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of UniFirst from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, UniFirst currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $186.25.

UniFirst Price Performance

NYSE:UNF opened at $196.02 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $190.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.78. UniFirst Co. has a one year low of $149.58 and a one year high of $205.38.

UniFirst Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from UniFirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.99%.

UniFirst 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.