Franklin Resources Inc. Buys New Shares in Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI

Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 21,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $721,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 17,142.9% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter worth approximately $68,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L bought 191,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.38 per share, for a total transaction of $4,868,645.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,971,440 shares in the company, valued at $100,795,147.20. This represents a 5.08% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders bought a total of 1,255,173 shares of company stock valued at $30,812,798 in the last ninety days. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of UTI stock opened at $25.45 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.22. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 52 week low of $21.29 and a 52 week high of $36.32.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.08. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 25.65% and a net margin of 7.54%.The firm had revenue of $222.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $219.33 million. Universal Technical Institute has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.710-0.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 EPS for the current year.

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.