Barrington Research Boosts Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Price Target to $42.00

Key Points

• Barrington Research raised Universal Technical Institute's price target from $36 to $42 and maintained an "outperform" rating, implying roughly a 26.64% upside from the current price.
• Analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with five Buy and two Hold ratings and an average price target of $42.80 (individual targets range up to $49).
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently—EVP Sherrell Smith sold 30,000 shares and CEO Jerome Grant sold 60,040 shares, with insiders offloading 145,961 shares (~$5.25M) in the past 90 days while owning 9.8% of the stock.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by research analysts at Barrington Research from $36.00 to $42.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Barrington Research's price target suggests a potential upside of 26.64% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.80.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock traded down $3.80 on Thursday, hitting $33.16. 88,132 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 682,679. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $21.29 and a 12-month high of $40.41. 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 company has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $36.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.84.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.61 million. Analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 30,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.99, for a total value of $1,109,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 129,375 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,581.25. The trade was a 18.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.95, for a total transaction of $2,098,398.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 430,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,036,014.25. The trade was a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 145,961 shares of company stock worth $5,248,127 over the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTI. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,259 shares of the company's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 441 shares during the period. ANB Bank boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 5.8% during the first quarter. ANB Bank now owns 8,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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