Barrington Research Reaffirms Outperform Rating for Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI)

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Barrington Research in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $36.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research’s target price indicates a potential downside of 5.99% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on UTI. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:UTI opened at $38.30 on Friday. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $21.29 and a 1-year high of $40.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $34.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total value of $615,945.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 104,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,885,455.72. This trade represents a 13.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.95, for a total value of $2,098,398.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 430,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,036,014.25. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 145,961 shares of company stock worth $5,248,127 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 141,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,704,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 21,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $685,000 after buying an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised 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 buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.