Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. Sells 525 Shares of UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF)

Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in UniFirst Co. (NYSE:UNF) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,865 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 525 shares during the quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in UniFirst were worth $341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of UniFirst by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,167 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in UniFirst during the 4th quarter worth approximately $259,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UniFirst during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,362,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position in UniFirst by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 171 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UniFirst Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of UniFirst stock traded down $0.50 on Friday, reaching $162.51. 50,989 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 54,953. UniFirst Co. has a one year low of $150.50 and a one year high of $187.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.60 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $164.67 and a 200 day moving average of $169.71.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 27th. The textile maker reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.19). UniFirst had a return on equity of 6.19% and a net margin of 4.92%. The company had revenue of $590.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.56 million. Analysts predict that UniFirst Co. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

UniFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised UniFirst from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. UBS Group upped their price target on UniFirst from $184.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on UniFirst from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.75.

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.