B. Riley Has Strong Estimate for UTI FY2025 Earnings

Key Points

• Analysts at B. Riley have raised their FY2025 earnings per share estimate for Universal Technical Institute to $1.11 from $1.05, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.00.
• Several brokerages have upgraded their price targets for UTI shares, with Truist Financial and Lake Street Capital increasing targets to $40.00 and $38.00 respectively, reflecting a positive sentiment in the market.
• Insider selling activity has been noted, with director George W. Brochick and COO Todd A. Hitchcock selling a combined total of 33,500 shares at prices above $31, indicating a potential change in their investment strategy.

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) - Investment analysts at B. Riley raised their FY2025 EPS estimates for Universal Technical Institute in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 6th. B. Riley analyst G. Boss now forecasts that the company will earn $1.11 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $1.05. The consensus estimate for Universal Technical Institute's current full-year earnings is $1.00 per share. B. Riley also issued estimates for Universal Technical Institute's Q4 2025 earnings at $0.32 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.29 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.23 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.19 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.10 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Lake Street Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:UTI traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,761,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 661,869. The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.58. Universal Technical Institute has a one year low of $15.14 and a one year high of $36.32. The business's 50-day moving average is $32.54 and its 200-day moving average is $30.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $204.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $200.01 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 22.12%.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total value of $917,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 80,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,686,180.56. This represents a 25.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.84, for a total transaction of $191,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,035,309.44. This trade represents a 15.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 2,671.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,731 shares of the company's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 8,416 shares in the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter worth about $3,085,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 100.5% during the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 36,553 shares of the company's stock worth $939,000 after buying an additional 18,320 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 90,709 shares of the company's stock worth $2,332,000 after buying an additional 12,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 95,410 shares of the company's stock worth $2,453,000 after buying an additional 30,250 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 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.