Wall Street Zen Upgrades Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to Hold

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on UTI. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.20.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $34.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.31. Universal Technical Institute has a twelve month low of $21.29 and a twelve month high of $38.02. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.65.

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

Insider Activity

In other Universal Technical Institute news, SVP Carolyn Ann Frank sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $52,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 30,272 shares in the company, valued at $910,581.76. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 22,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.10, for a total value of $841,094.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 37,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,390,285.40. The trade was a 37.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 130,961 shares of company stock worth $4,717,777. Insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 0.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 2.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% in the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,460,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.