Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Holdings Cut by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management cut its stake in Universal Technical Institute (UTI) by 23.7% in Q3, selling 133,525 shares and ending the period with 429,187 shares worth about $13.97 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently—140,961 shares sold over the last 90 days (≈$5.07M), including transactions by SVP Carolyn Ann Frank and COO Todd Hitchcock, leaving insiders with roughly 9.8% ownership.
• Analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $36.20 target; UTI beat Q results (EPS $0.23 vs $0.15) and the stock trades near $34.28 with a 52‑week range of $21.29–$38.02.

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 23.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 429,187 shares of the company's stock after selling 133,525 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.79% of Universal Technical Institute worth $13,970,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,259 shares of the company's stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% in the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,460,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.5% during the third quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 21,292 shares of the company's stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Carolyn Ann Frank sold 1,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $52,640.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 30,272 shares in the company, valued at $910,581.76. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total value of $615,945.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 104,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,885,455.72. The trade was a 13.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,961 shares of company stock valued at $5,065,177. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.20.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

UTI stock opened at $34.28 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.34, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a fifty-two week low of $21.29 and a fifty-two week high of $38.02.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.98%. The firm had revenue of $220.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $216.65 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Technical Institute Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc NYSE: UTI is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI's curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.

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