UniFirst Corporation (UNF) AI Stock Analysis

UniFirst Corporation specializes in designing, manufacturing, personalizing, renting, cleaning, delivering, and selling workplace uniforms and protective clothing. Operating segments include U.S. and Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid. Beyond shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, and high visibility garments, it supplies industrial wiping products, floor mats, and cleaning goods. UniFirst also delivers first aid cabinet services, safety supplies, decontamination services for materials exposed to radioactive elements, and cleanroom protective wear. Its customer base spans automobile service centers, food retailers, manufacturers, restaurants, healthcare providers, government agencies, and nuclear utilities.

UniFirst delivered a 5-year revenue CAGR of 6.2% from FY2020 to FY2025. Annual revenue expanded from $1.83B in FY2021 to $2.43B in FY2024 and stayed at $2.43B in FY2025, reflecting 0.2% growth. Gross margin compressed from 37.5% in FY2021 to 30.8% in FY2025, while operating margin fell from 10.7% to 7.6%. Over the same span, net income shifted from $151.1M in FY2021 to $148.3M in FY2025, with EPS moving from $7.94 to $8.25. Over the trailing twelve months, revenue reached $2.49B with an operating margin of 4.5% and net profit margin of 4.7%. In the latest quarter ended May 31, 2026, revenue increased 3.9% year-over-year, while quarterly earnings dropped 48.8%.

As of May 31, 2026, UniFirst held $168.9M in cash and short-term investments alongside $85.0M in total debt, leaving net cash of $83.8M. Shareholders' equity was $2.20B on total assets of $2.82B, yielding a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 3.11. In FY2025, the business produced $295.7M in operating cash flow and $141.4M in free cash flow. Cash deployment in FY2025 included $154.3M for capital expenditures, $70.9M for share buybacks, and $24.6M for dividends paid, contributing to a 4.3% reduction in share count over 5 years.

With a market cap of $4.76B, UniFirst trades at a trailing P/E of 41.5x and a forward P/E of 19.2x, compared to medians of 24.8x and 17.2x for its US-listed Industrials peers. Its EV/EBITDA of 16.5x and price-to-sales of 1.9x also stand above the peer medians of 13.9x and 1.5x. Over the past year, the stock gained 60.1% versus 16.8% for SPY. Over five years, it gained 28.4% compared to 83.0% for SPY. The shares closed at $263.00 on October 16, 2026, 2.5% above their 200-day average.

UniFirst pays a forward annual dividend of $1.46 per share, providing a 0.56% dividend yield with a payout ratio of 27.0%. The company distributes dividends quarterly and has paid dividends for 42 consecutive years. Over the past five years, its annualized dividend growth rate was 7.2%. The last ex-dividend date was September 4, 2026.

Four analysts cover UniFirst, with all 4 issuing Hold ratings. The mean price target is $273.33, implying 3.9% upside from the last close of $263.00. For the fiscal year ending August 31, 2026, consensus estimates project revenue of $2.51B and EPS of $7.44, down 9.9%. For the next fiscal year, analysts model revenue of $2.60B and EPS of $8.09. UniFirst beat EPS estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters, with the next earnings release scheduled for October 21, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of UniFirst Corporation (UNF). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

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