Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI Stake Decreased by Tudor Investment Corp ET AL

Key Points

• Tudor Investment Corp ET AL cut its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 21.9%, selling 39,366 shares and now holds 140,236 shares (about 0.26% of the company) valued at $4.565 million.
• Several large institutions — including Vanguard, Wasatch, Congress Asset, American Century and Punch & Associates — increased their UTI positions, leaving institutional ownership at 75.67%.
• Insiders have sold 145,961 shares worth roughly $5.25 million in the last three months (including CEO and COO sales), even as UTI recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.23 vs. $0.15).

Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lessened its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 21.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,236 shares of the company's stock after selling 39,366 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL owned 0.26% of Universal Technical Institute worth $4,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,456,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,508,000 after buying an additional 141,426 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 22.5% during 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. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 11.2% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 2,076,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,582,000 after purchasing an additional 209,476 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.7% during 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, Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 14.4% during the third quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,162,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,832,000 after purchasing an additional 146,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company's stock.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $35.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company's 50-day moving average price is $33.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.17. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 52 week low of $21.29 and a 52 week high of $40.41. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.33.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 104,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,885,455.72. This represents a 13.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.95, for a total value of $2,098,398.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 430,215 shares in the company, valued at $15,036,014.25. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 145,961 shares of company stock valued at $5,248,127 in the last three months. 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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