UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Purchased by Martingale Asset Management L P

Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,348 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P owned approximately 0.07% of UniFirst worth $2,652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNF. Quarry LP raised its holdings in UniFirst by 1,627.3% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 190 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of UniFirst by 60.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of UniFirst by 16.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 367 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in UniFirst in the second quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $109,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.25.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In related news, VP David Martin Katz sold 587 shares of UniFirst stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.08, for a total transaction of $113,337.96. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,086,075. The trade was a 9.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven S. Sintros sold 3,207 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.04, for a total transaction of $619,079.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,357,105.84. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,294 shares of company stock worth $2,546,632 over the last quarter. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UniFirst Stock Down 1.0 %

UNF stock opened at $200.87 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.09. The company has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85 and a beta of 0.82. UniFirst Co. has a fifty-two week low of $149.58 and a fifty-two week high of $208.20.

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 issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This is a boost from UniFirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.99%.

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.