Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.20.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UTI. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, SVP Carolyn Ann Frank sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $52,640.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 30,272 shares in the company, valued at $910,581.76. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L bought 467,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.40 per share, for a total transaction of $11,395,288.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,424,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,554,725.60. The trade was a 15.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 1,014,086 shares of company stock worth $25,077,339 over the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 141,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,704,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.1% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 21,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

UTI opened at $36.23 on Monday. Universal Technical Institute has a 52-week low of $21.29 and a 52-week high of $36.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.29. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $220.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.65 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 6.28%. On average, analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc (NYSE: UTI) is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI’s curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.