New York, Feb 10, 2026, 10:29 EST — Regular session
- UniFirst shares jump about 16% on a report of active acquisition talks with Cintas
- Stock still trades well below Cintas’ $275-per-share proposal from December
- Traders watch for a company statement or filing that confirms the talks
UniFirst Corp shares jumped in morning trading on Tuesday after a report said the uniform supplier is back in discussions with larger rival Cintas about a possible sale. Shares were up 15.6% at $231.00.
The move matters because it puts a live price on a deal that has hung over the stock for months. UniFirst is still trading roughly 16% below the $275-a-share figure Cintas has already put on the table, leaving a wide gap for traders to play.
It also reopens a question investors thought might be parked for a while: will UniFirst’s board engage this time, or does the standoff simply repeat. The spread between the stock and the headline bid is a reminder the market still sees real odds the talks go nowhere.
Bloomberg News reported UniFirst is in active discussions to be acquired by Cintas, citing people familiar with the matter, after Cintas resubmitted its $275-per-share proposal in December. The report said the talks are confidential and could still break down. 1
Cintas shares were up 2.8% in morning trade, a smaller move that fits the usual pattern when the buyer is the larger company and investors start to weigh price discipline and deal risk.
Cintas made its latest bid public in December, saying it offered $5.2 billion, or $275 per UniFirst share in cash, and calling it its third attempt after earlier approaches in 2022 and a failed round last year. The proposal included a $350 million reverse termination fee — a penalty paid by the buyer if regulators block the deal — and CEO Todd Schneider said the companies were “stronger together than we are apart.” 2
UniFirst supplies and services workplace uniforms and related facility products, with operations that span uniform rental and cleaning, manufacturing, specialty garments and first-aid and safety offerings, according to its company profile. 3
There are still plenty of ways this can go sideways. UniFirst has a dual-class share structure in which Class B shares carry ten votes per share, concentrating voting power and potentially making any deal decision less straightforward than a simple price debate. 4
For now, the stock is trading more like a probability-weighted bet than a done deal. Buyers are paying up for the chance UniFirst engages, but they are not paying anywhere near the full $275.
The next catalyst is simple and immediate: any on-the-record comment, board update or SEC filing that confirms talks or signals a change to the bid, with traders watching for headlines before the U.S. market close.
