Universal Technical Institute's (UTI) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Rosenblatt Securities

Key Points

• Universal Technical Institute's stock has been reaffirmed with a "buy" rating by Rosenblatt Securities, which has set a target price of $36.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.61%.
• Other analysts, including Truist Financial and Lake Street Capital, have also rated the stock as a buy, with price targets ranging from $36.00 to $40.00.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting $0.19 earnings per share against a consensus estimate of $0.12, along with a revenue of $204.30 million.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by investment analysts at Rosenblatt Securities in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities' target price points to a potential upside of 34.19% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $38.00 price target (up previously from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

NYSE:UTI traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $26.83. 1,761,937 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 661,869. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.98. Universal Technical Institute has a 12 month low of $15.14 and a 12 month high of $36.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 7.79%. The firm had revenue of $204.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.01 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director George W. Brochick sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.84, for a total value of $191,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 32,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,035,309.44. This represents a 15.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total value of $917,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 80,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,686,180.56. The trade was a 25.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,265,000. Dumac Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,236,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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. Driehaus Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 1st quarter worth approximately $20,631,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,343,822 shares of the company's stock worth $34,509,000 after buying an additional 370,660 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.