Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Unifirst (NYSE:UNF) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.580-6.980 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 7.030. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.5 billion-$2.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.5 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNF shares. UBS Group set a $182.00 price target on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Unifirst from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Unifirst in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Unifirst from $152.00 to $145.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unifirst currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $174.75.

Unifirst Stock Performance

Unifirst stock traded down $5.90 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $197.26. The company had a trading volume of 117,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,470. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64 and a beta of 0.72. Unifirst has a 12-month low of $147.66 and a 12-month high of $232.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $173.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.89.

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

Unifirst Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Unifirst’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Unifirst’s payout ratio is 18.30%.

Key Unifirst News

Here are the key news stories impacting Unifirst this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top-line held up: revenue grew modestly year-over-year (Q1 revenue ~ $621M, +2.7%) and gross profit was slightly higher, showing continued demand resilience. Unifirst Corporation (UNF) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue In Line, EPS Miss on Margin Pressure
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarter-over-quarter sales momentum: prior-quarter Q4 sales were reported to top estimates, supporting medium-term revenue expectations. UniFirst’s (NYSE:UNF) Q4 CY2025 Sales Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed the official Q1 press release and held a conference call; management provided FY2026 guidance and a direct discussion of results for investors to parse. UniFirst Announces Financial Results for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2026
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed expectations: the quarter’s EPS came in below analyst consensus, which is the primary near-term catalyst behind the share weakness. Market writeups flagged the miss and immediate investor reaction. US Stocks Edge Higher; UniFirst Shares Fall After Q1 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and profitability pressure: operating profit and net income declined materially year-over-year as cost of sales rose, driving margin compression. Weak operating cash flow and higher capital spending also raise short-term liquidity and free-cash-flow concerns. Unifirst Corporation (UNF) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue In Line, EPS Miss on Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance was set at $6.580–$6.980, below the consensus (~$7.03), which tempered investor expectations for full-year profitability even though revenue guidance was roughly in line. That guidance gap is a key driver of the down move. UniFirst Announces Financial Results for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2026

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unifirst

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unifirst by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unifirst by 378.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 153 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Unifirst during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in Unifirst by 1,244.0% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 336 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Unifirst in the third quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

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).