UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $186.25.

UniFirst Trading Up 2.3 %

UNF stock opened at $196.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.23 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.49. UniFirst has a 12-month low of $149.58 and a 12-month high of $205.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at UniFirst

In related news, major shareholder The Ronald D. Croatti Trust – 1 sold 9,500 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.97, for a total value of $1,814,215.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,390 shares in the company, valued at $3,320,968.30. This trade represents a 35.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UniFirst

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in UniFirst by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 349,298 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $69,401,000 after acquiring an additional 4,136 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in UniFirst by 464.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,220 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $8,188,000 after acquiring an additional 33,919 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of UniFirst in the third quarter worth $301,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 9.0% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,231 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

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.