Invesco Ltd. Acquires 74,833 Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 26.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 354,673 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,833 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.65% of Universal Technical Institute worth $9,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter valued at $152,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 418.6% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 6,337 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter worth $206,000. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE UTI opened at $27.95 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $26.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.48. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.66 and a 52-week high of $30.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at $963,360.03. This trade represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total value of $1,098,571.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 177,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,954,849.20. The trade was a 18.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 94,524 shares of company stock worth $2,578,450. Company insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UTI shares. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Lake Street Capital upped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.17.

About Universal Technical Institute

Universal Technical Institute, Inc provides transportation, skilled trades, and healthcare education programs in the United States. The company operates in two segments, UTI and Concorde. It offers certificate, diploma, or degree programs under various brands, such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology.