Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Shares Acquired by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 5,171.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,072 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,843 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,745,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,591,000 after acquiring an additional 44,103 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% during the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,497,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219,052 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company's stock worth $30,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,743 shares during the last quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 991,752 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,498,000 after purchasing an additional 140,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 973,162 shares of the company's stock worth $25,020,000 after purchasing an additional 136,642 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UTI. Northland Securities upped their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley initiated coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Friday, March 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 1.7%

Universal Technical Institute stock traded up $0.60 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $35.40. The stock had a trading volume of 1,618,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 591,849. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $35.87. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business's 50 day moving average price is $28.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.48.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $207.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $196.63 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 25.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total value of $1,098,571.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 177,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,954,849.20. This represents a 18.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 128,024 shares of company stock valued at $3,686,890 in the last quarter. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.