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

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Barrington Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $36.00 price target on the stock. Barrington Research's target price indicates a potential upside of 6.98% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. B. Riley started coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reissued a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price (up from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE UTI traded up $0.64 during trading on Thursday, reaching $33.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 640,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,339. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $13.66 and a 1-year high of $36.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 34.69, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.26.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. The business had revenue of $207.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now owns 80,521 shares in the company, valued at $2,686,180.56. The trade was a 25.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total transaction of $1,098,571.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,954,849.20. This trade represents a 18.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 120,024 shares of company stock worth $3,466,170. Insiders own 15.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,052,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,392,000 after acquiring an additional 306,984 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 58.3% during the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 2,924,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077,076 shares during the last quarter. Dumac Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter valued at $43,236,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 38.1% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,343,822 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,509,000 after acquiring an additional 370,660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,743 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.