Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Shares Acquired by Manatuck Hill Partners LLC

Key Points

• Manatuck Hill Partners sharply increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute, lifting holdings by 342.8% in the fourth quarter to 264,800 shares, worth about $6.9 million.
• There was significant insider selling last quarter, including a 3 million-share sale by director Coliseum Capital Management, with insiders selling a total of 3,018,500 shares valued at about $124.9 million.
• UTI recently reported flat-to-slightly-below expectations earnings with $0.01 EPS and $221.4 million in revenue, while Wall Street keeps a Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $44.25.

Manatuck Hill Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 342.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 264,800 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 205,000 shares during the quarter. Universal Technical Institute accounts for 2.4% of Manatuck Hill Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC owned 0.48% of Universal Technical Institute worth $6,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 187.5% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter worth $57,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 4,500.0% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 5,428 shares of the company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 5,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter worth $216,000. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total value of $155,470.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 43,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,910,326.52. The trade was a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 3,000,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $124,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 971,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,217,616. This trade represents a 75.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,018,500 shares of company stock valued at $124,904,320 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $38.81 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 52 week low of $21.29 and a 52 week high of $45.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.02.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTI has been the subject of several research reports. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Universal Technical Institute from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.25.

Universal Technical Institute Company 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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