Pullen Investment Management LLC Lowers Position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Pullen Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 31.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,229 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,181 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC owned 0.12% of Universal Technical Institute worth $1,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UTI. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 90,709 shares of the company's stock worth $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 12,017 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 37.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 71,407 shares of the company's stock worth $1,836,000 after buying an additional 19,453 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC grew its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 566,663 shares of the company's stock worth $14,569,000 after acquiring an additional 13,281 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 373,754 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,609,000 after acquiring an additional 29,755 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 116,447 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,994,000 after acquiring an additional 11,988 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley started coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Friday, March 28th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial raised 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. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (up from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director George W. Brochick sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.84, for a total value of $191,040.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,516 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,309.44. This trade represents a 15.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total transaction of $917,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 80,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,686,180.56. The trade was a 25.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 120,024 shares of company stock worth $3,466,170. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 1.9%

Universal Technical Institute stock traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.65. 640,806 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 598,266. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $31.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.23. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $36.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm 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.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $207.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. Research analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Technical Institute Company 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.