UniFirst (UNF) Soars 6.6%: Is Further Upside Left in the Stock?

UniFirst (UNF) shares ended the last trading session 6.6% higher at $274.89. The jump came on an impressive volume with a higher-than-average number of shares changing hands in the session. This compares to the stock's 12.1% gain over the past four weeks.The stock is expected to have gained after UniFirst agreed to be acquired by Cintas in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $5.5 billion. Under the agreement, UniFirst shareholders will receive $155 in cash and 0.772 shares of Cintas for each share held, valuing each UniFirst share at around $310.This uniform provider is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -13.6%. Revenues are expected to be $613 million, up 1.8% from the year-ago quarter.Earnings and revenue growth expectations certainly give a good sense of the potential strength in a stock, but empirical research shows that trends in earnings estimate revisions are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements.For UniFirst, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. And a stock's price usually doesn't keep moving higher in the absence of any trend in earnings estimate revisions. So, make sure to keep an eye on UNF going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>UniFirst belongs to the Zacks Uniform and Related industry. Another stock from the same industry, Vestis (VSTS), closed the last trading session 3.7% lower at $7.5. Over the past month, VSTS has returned -8.4%.For Vestis, the consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed +6.3% over the past month to $0.09. This represents a change of +280% from what the company reported a year ago. Vestis currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockThis under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Unifirst Corporation (UNF): Free Stock Analysis Report Vestis Corporation (VSTS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks