New York, February 11, 2026, 09:15 EST — Premarket
- UniFirst shares showed little movement in early trading following a steep rise the day before
- A report revealed UniFirst is currently in active acquisition talks with its larger competitor, Cintas
- Traders are closely monitoring for any board updates before the upcoming earnings cycle
UniFirst Corp (UNF) shares nudged 0.7% higher to $231.58 in premarket trading at 8:41 a.m. ET, following a 15.1% surge to $230.01 on Tuesday. In the last session, the stock fluctuated between $229.39 and $241.32.
According to a Bloomberg Law report, UniFirst is currently in talks to be acquired by Cintas Corp (CTAS), sources close to the matter say. This deal would combine two major players in uniforms and workplace services, reigniting takeover discussions that have surfaced sporadically for years.
Cintas’ latest public offer — $275 per share in cash — is roughly 19% higher than UniFirst’s premarket price, highlighting persistent concerns about deal risk among investors. The December bid also featured a $350 million reverse termination fee, payable by Cintas if regulators scuttle the deal.
In its announcement, Cintas revealed the offer came with a 64% premium over UniFirst’s 90-day average closing price as of Dec. 11. The company plans to back the deal using cash and committed credit lines, along with other funding sources.
On a Jan. 7 earnings call, UniFirst CEO Steven Sintros told analysts the board brought in independent advisers to examine the “unsolicited non-binding” proposal. He added, “That work remains ongoing, and we will provide an update as soon as it has been completed.” The Motley Fool
The fresh buzz has positioned UniFirst as a textbook merger-arbitrage play. In deal-arb, investors snap up the target’s stock, banking on the price moving closer to the bid; but if negotiations stall or the terms change, the position can quickly unravel.
UniFirst’s dual-class setup could make securing a signed deal tricky. Its Class B shares wield 10 votes apiece and aren’t freely transferable unless converted, per the company’s most recent annual filing.
Another SEC filing revealed that Executive Vice President Ross William Masters offloaded 1,128 UniFirst shares on Feb. 9, fetching $201.38 apiece. This sale was executed under a 10b5-1 plan set up back in November.
Investors are closely monitoring for any public announcements from either company, including potential SEC filings that might shed light on the status of talks or indicate a change in the bid price. UniFirst is scheduled to release its next quarterly results around April 1, per MarketBeat’s earnings calendar.
