Granahan Investment Management LLC Has $4.08 Million Position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Granahan Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 158,859 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,700 shares during the quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC owned about 0.29% of Universal Technical Institute worth $4,084,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 71,407 shares of the company's stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 19,453 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 566,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,569,000 after buying an additional 13,281 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 617,430 shares of the company's stock worth $15,874,000 after acquiring an additional 205,716 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $713,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on UTI. Northland Securities boosted their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Lake Street Capital boosted their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Friday, March 28th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock traded up $0.64 on Friday, hitting $34.37. The stock had a trading volume of 376,927 shares, compared to its average volume of 582,659. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.92 and a 200 day moving average of $26.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $35.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $207.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total transaction of $981,103.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 227,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,065,911.44. This represents a 13.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 100,524 shares of company stock valued at $2,769,490. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc provides transportation, skilled trades, and healthcare education programs in the United States. The company operates in two segments, UTI and Concorde. It offers certificate, diploma, or degree programs under various brands, such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology.