Unifirst Corporation (UNF) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue In Line, EPS Miss on Margin Pressure

Unifirst Corporation (UNF) — Q1 2026 results

Unifirst reported first-quarter revenue of $621.3 million, up 2.7% year-over-year, with gross profit of $228.3 million, up 2.0% year-over-year. Operating profit fell to $45.3 million, down 18.4% year-over-year, and net income attributable to common shareholders declined to $34.4 million, down 20.3% year-over-year. Diluted earnings per share were 1.89, down 18.2% year-over-year.

Revenue: $621.3 million (+2.7% YoY)

Gross profit: $228.3 million (+2.0% YoY)

Operating profit: $45.3 million (down 18.4% YoY)

Net income: $34.4 million (down 20.3% YoY)

Diluted EPS: 1.89 (down 18.2% YoY)

Cash flow and the balance sheet showed mixed signals: operating cash flow weakened significantly while investment in the business increased. Cost of sales increased to $393.0 million, up 3.1% year-over-year, which contributed to margin pressure.

Cash from operations: $14.9 million (down 74.5% YoY)

Capital expenditures (purchases of property, plant and equipment): $38.9 million (up 15.8% YoY)

Cash and cash equivalents: $124.0 million (down 25.4% YoY)

Total liabilities: $590.1 million (up 3.9% YoY)

Against expectations, revenue was essentially in line with the consensus while earnings missed. Actual revenue of $621.3 million compared with an estimate of $621.4 million. Reported diluted EPS of 1.89 missed the estimate of 2.08.

Revenue vs. estimate: $621.3 million actual vs. $621.4 million estimate

EPS vs. estimate: 1.89 actual vs. 2.08 estimate

Investor takeaways:

Top-line growth was modest, but margins came under pressure as cost of sales rose.

Operating profit and net income declined materially, reflecting margin compression and higher operating costs.

Cash generation weakened sharply, even as capital spending increased, which may affect near-term liquidity dynamics.

Note: This financials data is sourced from a third-party provider and has not been independently verified by Quiver.

Unifirst Corporation Insider Trading Activity

Unifirst Corporation insiders have traded $UNF stock on the open market 2 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 2 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $UNF stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

DAVID MARTIN KATZ (Executive VP, Sales/Marketing) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 9 shares for an estimated $1,397.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

Unifirst Corporation Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 151 institutional investors add shares of Unifirst Corporation stock to their portfolio, and 149 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

MORGAN STANLEY removed 116,580 shares (-50.7%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $19,491,010
FIRST TRUST ADVISORS LP added 115,802 shares (+60.5%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $19,360,936
COOPER CREEK PARTNERS MANAGEMENT LLC added 111,179 shares (+108.0%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $18,588,017
TIMESSQUARE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC added 108,720 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $18,176,896
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO removed 86,893 shares (-56.9%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $14,527,640
TORONTO DOMINION BANK removed 72,500 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $12,121,275
BRANDES INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LP added 72,417 shares (+108.4%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $12,107,398

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

Unifirst Corporation Government Contracts

We have seen $2,695,680 of award payments to $UNF over the last year.

Here are some of the awards which we have have seen pay out the most over the last year:

SEE DESCRIPTION OF MODIFICATION: $424,193
BPA CALL ORDER FOR UNIFIRST UNIFORMS RENTAL AND LAUNDERING FOR THE WESTERN CURRENCY FACILITY: $327,500
CLEANROOM CLEANING: $227,809
NEW CALL ORDER FROM BPA 2031ZA22A00057.: $170,040
THIS REQUIREMENT IS FOR LAUNDRY AND LINEN SERVICES IN ACCORDANCE WITH ATTACHED PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENTS ...: $137,520

To track government contracts to publicy traded companies, check out Quiver Quantitative's government contracts dashboard.

Unifirst Corporation Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $UNF in the last several months. We have seen 0 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 1 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

JP Morgan issued a "Underweight" rating on 07/14/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for Unifirst Corporation, check out Quiver Quantitative's $UNF forecast page.

Unifirst Corporation Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $UNF recently. We have seen 3 analysts offer price targets for $UNF in the last 6 months, with a median target of $175.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Joshua Chan from UBS set a target price of $182.0 on 10/23/2025
Manav Patnaik from Barclays set a target price of $145.0 on 10/23/2025
Andrew Steinerman from JP Morgan set a target price of $175.0 on 07/14/2025