Fact based stock research
UniFirst (NYSE:UNF)

US9047081040

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

UniFirst stock research in summary

unifirst.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with investment alternatives), UniFirst (Diversified Support Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of UniFirst are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 65 (better than 65% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 80, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 72, is a buy recommendation based on UniFirst's financial characteristics. As the company UniFirst's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 65) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 80), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 65% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	65
Growth Rank	13
Safety Rank	80
Combined Rank	72

Country	USA
Industry	Diversified Support Services
Index
Size class	Large

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: UniFirst

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	47	47	50	65
GROWTH
GROWTH	29	7	23	13
SAFETY
SAFETY	100	81	81	80
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	95	8	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	45	43	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 25-May-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better UniFirst is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	47	47	50	65
GROWTH
GROWTH	29	7	23	13
SAFETY
SAFETY	100	81	81	80
COMBINED
COMBINED	73	30	30	72

Last update of combined financial performance: 4-Jul-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of UniFirst the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), UniFirst shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for UniFirst. Expected dividend yields are higher than for 55% of comparable companies (a Dividend Yield rank of 55), making the stock attractive. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 83, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 83% of comparable investments. But in respect to sales and profits, the picture is reversed. Price-to-Sales is 39 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 61% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning UniFirst's sales levels. The Price-to-Profit ratio (also referred to as price-earnings (P/E) ratio) is also unfavorable for UniFirst with a rank of 37. This means that the stock price, compared with what market professionals expect for future profits, is higher than for 63% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning UniFirst's profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation based on UniFirst's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The company seems confident that it can generate a reasonable return on invested capital, because it pays an above-average dividend while profits are below what you would expect for a company with this stock price. If you agree with this practice and believe that profits will return to higher levels, as the current dividend policy suggests, UniFirst may be an attractive investment. If this is not the case, you may want to be careful with this stock as it is also expensive compared with its expected revenue levels. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	42	37	40	39
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	52	35	26	37
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	48	77	79	83
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	40	46	50	55
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	47	47	50	65

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of UniFirst; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), UniFirst shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for UniFirst. Sales Growth has a rank of 44, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 56% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 16, and Capital Growth with 38. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 29, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 71% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	20	32	30	44
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	56	23	53	16
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	31	45	38
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	52	21	13	29
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	29	7	23	13

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of UniFirst.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company UniFirst has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of UniFirst is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators where two out of three are above average for UniFirst.Leverage is at 90, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 90% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 69, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 69% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives), UniFirst has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. Investors should compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before deciding. They may also want to investigate why cash flows are expected to be low, making debt service for UniFirst more challenging. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	88	100	100	90
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	53	75	67	69
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	79	91	91	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	100	81	81	80

Last update of Safety Rank: 4-Jul-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of UniFirst and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	7	5	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	99	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	83	20	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	100	55	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	95	8	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for UniFirst.
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