UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) Shares Bought by Jane Street Group LLC

Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 13.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,978 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,823 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC owned 0.13% of UniFirst worth $4,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP increased its position in 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 buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 60.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired 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 worth approximately $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Trading Down 2.2 %

UNF opened at $186.29 on Wednesday. UniFirst Co. has a 12-month low of $149.58 and a 12-month high of $208.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $193.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98 and a beta of 0.84.

UniFirst Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This is a boost from UniFirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.02%.

Insider Activity at UniFirst

In related news, major shareholder The Ronald D. Croatti Trust – 1 sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,390 shares in the company, valued at $3,320,968.30. The trade was a 35.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP David Martin Katz sold 587 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.08, for a total transaction of $113,337.96. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,086,075. This represents a 9.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,294 shares of company stock worth $2,546,632 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of UniFirst from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on UniFirst from $199.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research 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 given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $186.25.

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.