Which has the lower trailing P/E, UNF or VSEC?

UNF has the lower trailing P/E: UNF trades at 39.70 and VSEC at 61.94. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, UNF or VSEC?

Over the past five years, VSEC grew revenue faster — UNF at a 6.85% CAGR versus VSEC at 15.68%.

Does UNF or VSEC pay a bigger dividend?

UNF yields 0.58% and VSEC yields 0.23% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is UNF or VSEC more profitable?

VSEC runs the higher net margin — UNF at 4.65% versus VSEC at 5.52%.

How have UNF and VSEC total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, UNF delivered 7.29% and VSEC delivered 18.38% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

UniFirst Corporation (UNF) vs VSE Corporation (VSEC)

A side-by-side comparison of UniFirst Corporation and VSE Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 6, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

UNF

UniFirst Corporation

$4.57B

$251.72IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

VSEC

VSE Corporation

$4.73B

$168.48IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — UNF vs VSEC

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

UNF +102.1% (+7.3%/yr)VSEC +441.8% (+18.4%/yr)VSEC compounded faster over this window

UNF VSEC

UNF vs VSEC: by the numbers

•VSEC is the larger company ($4.73B vs $4.57B market cap).
•UNF trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (39.70 vs 61.94 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•VSEC converts more revenue to profit (5.52% vs 4.65% net margin).
•VSEC grew revenue faster over the past five years (15.68% vs 6.85% CAGR).
•UNF pays the higher dividend yield (0.58% vs 0.23%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	UNF	VSEC
P/E ratio	39.70	61.94
Forward P/E	31.13	25.54
PEG ratio	17.41	N/A
P/S ratio	1.83	3.48
P/B ratio	2.08	1.61
EV / EBITDA	15.56	27.11
FCF yield	1.90%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	UNF	VSEC
Gross margin	36.68%	13.97%
Operating margin	5.77%	11.16%
Net margin	4.65%	5.52%
ROE	5.27%	2.55%
ROIC	4.40%	2.83%

Dividends

Metric	UNF	VSEC
Dividend yield	0.58%	0.23%
Payout ratio	23.03%	14.71%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	UNF	VSEC
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.85%	15.68%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	2.23%	N/A
FCF CAGR (5Y)	2.17%	N/A
Total return CAGR (5Y)	3.60%	29.16%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, UNF or VSEC?: UNF has the lower trailing P/E: UNF trades at 39.70 and VSEC at 61.94. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, UNF or VSEC?: Over the past five years, VSEC grew revenue faster — UNF at a 6.85% CAGR versus VSEC at 15.68%.
Does UNF or VSEC pay a bigger dividend?: UNF yields 0.58% and VSEC yields 0.23% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is UNF or VSEC more profitable?: VSEC runs the higher net margin — UNF at 4.65% versus VSEC at 5.52%.
How have UNF and VSEC total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, UNF delivered 7.29% and VSEC delivered 18.38% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full UNF analysis Full VSEC analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

UniFirst P/E ratio VSE P/E ratio UniFirst dividend yield VSE dividend yield UniFirst ROE VSE ROE UniFirst operating margin VSE operating margin UniFirst revenue growth VSE revenue growth UniFirst free cash flow VSE free cash flow

UniFirst & VSE appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified October 6, 2026.