Lake Street Capital Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI)

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities researchers at Lake Street Capital in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $38.00 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $35.00. Lake Street Capital’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.66% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on UTI. B. Riley initiated 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. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Northland Securities boosted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $34.97 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $28.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Technical Institute has a 52-week low of $13.66 and a 52-week high of $36.32. The company has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.05, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $207.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total transaction of $1,098,571.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 177,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,954,849.20. This trade represents a 18.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,024 shares of company stock valued at $3,686,890 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,052,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,392,000 after purchasing an additional 306,984 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 58.3% in the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 2,924,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077,076 shares during the period. Dumac Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $43,236,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,343,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,509,000 after purchasing an additional 370,660 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,566,000 after purchasing an additional 6,743 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

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.