Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Downgraded to "Strong Sell" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) has been downgraded to a "strong sell" rating by Zacks Research, moving from a previous "hold" rating.
• Despite the downgrade by Zacks, other analysts have differing opinions, with Barrington Research and Weiss Ratings maintaining a "buy" and "outperform" rating, respectively.
• Shares of UTI are currently trading at around $30.07, with a market cap of $1.64 billion, following the release of positive quarterly earnings that beat estimates.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $30.07 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.58. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $28.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. Universal Technical Institute has a twelve month low of $15.18 and a twelve month high of $36.32.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $204.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.01 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 22.12%. As a group, research analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2,671.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 8,416 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter valued at $3,085,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 100.5% during the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 36,553 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 18,320 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter valued at $256,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 12.2% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 419,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,765,000 after acquiring an additional 45,447 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

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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