Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Universal Technical Institute received a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from six analysts, with four buys and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $42.83.
• UTI shares opened at $20.85, near the company’s 12-month low of $19.52 and well below its 12-month high of $51.34. The stock has fallen below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• The company exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.04 versus the $0.02 consensus, though revenue of $218.91 million came in slightly below estimates. Insiders recently sold shares, while institutional investors own 75.67% of the stock.

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.8333.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $47.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Northland Securities set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. B. Riley Financial dropped their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Technical Institute news, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $181,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 27,025 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,000. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jerome Grant sold 94,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $3,912,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 335,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,898,601. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter valued at about $526,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter worth about $13,471,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter worth about $25,000. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 9.4% in the second quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 10,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $461,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 18.7% in the second quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,075,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,011,000 after acquiring an additional 169,513 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $20.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $19.52 and a 12-month high of $51.34. The business's 50 day moving average is $29.76 and its 200 day moving average is $35.63.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.02. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 3.88%.The business had revenue of $218.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.40 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Universal Technical Institute

Universal Technical Institute, Inc NYSE: UTI is a provider of postsecondary education and training for careers in the transportation, skilled trades and energy industries. The company offers programs in automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, marine, welding, CNC machining, wind energy and other technical fields, combining classroom instruction with hands-on laboratory experience.

Universal Technical Institute operates through a portfolio of specialized school brands, including Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute and MIAT College of Technology.

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