Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.17.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UTI shares. Northland Securities upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley initiated coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Friday, March 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $963,360.03. This trade represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total value of $981,103.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 227,358 shares in the company, valued at $6,065,911.44. This represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 94,524 shares of company stock worth $2,578,450 over the last ninety days. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,745,668 shares of the company's stock worth $70,591,000 after purchasing an additional 44,103 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% in the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company's stock worth $47,497,000 after buying an additional 1,219,052 shares in the last quarter. Dumac Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter valued at $43,236,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,566,000 after acquiring an additional 6,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,131,759 shares of the company's stock worth $29,098,000 after acquiring an additional 109,255 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $29.48 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's fifty day moving average is $27.06 and its 200-day moving average is $25.34. Universal Technical Institute has a one year low of $13.66 and a one year high of $30.56. 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, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Universal Technical Institute Company 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.

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