Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Stake Lowered by AWM Investment Company Inc.

Key Points

• AWM Investment Company Inc. reduced its stake in Universal Technical Institute Inc by 3.5%, selling 19,000 shares and holding a total of 517,700 shares.
• Analysts have varied opinions on UTI; while Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "buy" to "hold," multiple firms including Truist Financial and Barrington Research maintain "buy" ratings with target prices ranging from $36.00 to $40.00.
• The company recently reported an EPS of $0.19, exceeding forecasts, with revenues of $204.3 million for the quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $200.01 million.

AWM Investment Company Inc. cut its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 517,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,000 shares during the period. Universal Technical Institute makes up 1.8% of AWM Investment Company Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned 0.95% of Universal Technical Institute worth $13,295,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dumac Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,236,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 58.3% in the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 2,924,499 shares of the company's stock worth $75,101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077,076 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 1st quarter valued at $20,631,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 370,660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 306,984 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Universal Technical Institute stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 445,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 814,664. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.65. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a twelve month low of $15.14 and a twelve month high of $36.32. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $29.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.82.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $204.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.01 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 22.12%. Research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Lake Street Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price (up from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Profile

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.