Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Shares Bought by Needham Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Needham Investment Management increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 46.8% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 257,500 shares to bring its total to 807,500 shares worth about $21.1 million.
• Analysts remain generally positive on UTI, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $44.25. Several firms recently reiterated or raised targets, though Weiss Ratings lowered its view slightly.
• The stock was reported down 6.3% to $36.68, even as the company posted quarterly revenue of $221.4 million and EPS of $0.01. Insider selling also continued, including recent sales by the CAO and a director.

Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 46.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 807,500 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 257,500 shares during the period. Universal Technical Institute comprises approximately 1.3% of Needham Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Needham Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.47% of Universal Technical Institute worth $21,100,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Leuthold Group LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 141,748 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,704,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 2.1% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 21,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% during the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 8,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 6.3%

UTI stock opened at $36.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.80. 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.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 13.02%. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the business's 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 directly owned 127,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,667,566.76. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 3,018,500 shares of company stock valued at $124,904,320 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

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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