River Road Asset Management LLC Sells 141 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 855,285 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 141 shares during the quarter. UniFirst makes up about 1.9% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 4.61% of UniFirst worth $146,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNF. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in UniFirst during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew 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 worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of UniFirst by 187.2% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 359 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 16.5% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 367 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of UNF opened at $205.06 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $212.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22 and a beta of 0.89. UniFirst Co. has a 12-month low of $149.58 and a 12-month high of $243.70.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $604.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.60 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.26 EPS. Analysts anticipate that UniFirst Co. will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 1,299 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.95, for a total transaction of $274,024.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,361,682.25. This represents a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNF shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $190.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

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.