Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on UNF. UBS Group set a $182.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $174.75.

Unifirst Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of UNF opened at $199.41 on Monday. Unifirst has a 52-week low of $147.66 and a 52-week high of $243.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.10. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99 and a beta of 0.76.

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The textile maker reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $614.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $607.02 million. Unifirst had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 7.11%. Unifirst’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. Unifirst has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.580-6.980 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unifirst will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unifirst

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Unifirst by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 793,765 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $149,402,000 after acquiring an additional 4,339 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Unifirst by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 772,667 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $129,181,000 after acquiring an additional 9,576 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Unifirst by 1.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 364,411 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $68,598,000 after purchasing an additional 3,586 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Unifirst by 85,558.5% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 307,514 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $53,507,000 after purchasing an additional 307,155 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Unifirst by 60.5% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,341 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $51,384,000 after purchasing an additional 115,802 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Unifirst News

Here are the key news stories impacting Unifirst this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cintas submitted a $275-per-share, all-cash proposal (approx. $5.2B) to buy UniFirst, a ~64% premium to recent trading — a direct, high-value exit for UNF shareholders that explains the rally. Reuters: Cintas makes $5.2B bid
• Positive Sentiment: Cintas says combining the companies unlocks large route-density efficiencies (MarketBeat cites ~$375M in annual cost savings) and included a $350M reverse-termination fee — signaling seriousness and boosting deal credibility. MarketBeat: Bid ignites route dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Activist investor Boyar Value Group urged the UniFirst board to launch a formal strategic review in light of the offer, increasing pressure on management to engage with bidders or seek better alternatives. BusinessWire: Boyar urges strategic review
• Neutral Sentiment: UniFirst officially confirmed receipt of the unsolicited, non?binding proposal on Dec. 22 — the company must now evaluate the offer and can seek competing bids or negotiate. GlobeNewswire: UniFirst confirms receipt
• Neutral Sentiment: UniFirst will report its Q1 fiscal 2026 results on Jan. 7, 2026 — any forward guidance or commentary could influence deal dynamics or the stock if management signals strategic intent. GlobeNewswire: Q1 results date
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are reassessing UNF valuation after a sharp one?month rebound — the offer forces a re-price whether the deal closes or triggers a rival bid/strategic review. Yahoo Finance: Valuation assessment
• Negative Sentiment: Control by the Croatti family (dual-class shares) gives them outsized voting power and could block a sale despite the large cash premium — a major governance obstacle. MarketBeat: Family control could block sale
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/antitrust risk from combining the #1 and #3 players and some brokerages maintaining conservative ratings (consensus “Reduce”) create deal closure risk and downside if the offer fails. AmericanBankingNews: Broker ratings

Unifirst Company Profile

UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a leading provider of customized uniform rental and facility service programs in North America and Europe. The company specializes in the rental, laundering and maintenance of workwear, corporate apparel and protective garments for a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, healthcare and food processing. UniFirst also offers a suite of facility service products such as entrance mats, restroom supplies, wipers, mops and hygienic services designed to help customers maintain clean and safe environments.

In addition to its core uniform rental business, UniFirst has expanded its product portfolio to include safety and first-responder gear, flame-resistant clothing, high-visibility apparel and personal protective equipment (PPE).