Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Shares Bought by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Key Points

• Clearbridge Investments increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 53.2% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 193,017 shares and bringing its total holdings to 555,573 shares worth about $14.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and 75.67% of UTI shares are owned by institutions and hedge funds, signaling strong professional investor interest in the stock.
• Analysts remain generally upbeat on UTI, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.25, while the stock recently traded at $39.62 after reporting quarterly EPS of $0.01 on revenue of $221.4 million.

Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 53.2% 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 555,573 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 193,017 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 1.01% of Universal Technical Institute worth $14,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,456,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,508,000 after purchasing an additional 141,426 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 22.5% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,361,019 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,851,000 after purchasing an additional 433,824 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140,465 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 1.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,580,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,436,000 after purchasing an additional 26,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,184,105 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,947,000 after purchasing an additional 12,007 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UTI shares. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Barrington Research upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.25.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $39.62 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $38.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.45, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.25. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 12 month low of $21.29 and a 12 month high of $45.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 3,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $124,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 971,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,217,616. This represents a 75.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total transaction of $548,850.00. Following the sale, the director owned 127,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,667,566.76. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,023,500 shares of company stock worth $125,087,270 over the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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