Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Universal Technical Institute's rating was downgraded from "buy" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen following its latest earnings report, which showed earnings per share of $0.19, exceeding estimates.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with some maintaining a "buy" rating and a consensus price target around $35.83.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest, with significant investments from firms like Ameriprise Financial and Millennium Management, leaving 75.67% of the stock owned by institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

UTI opened at $28.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.65. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $28.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.83. Universal Technical Institute has a 52-week low of $15.14 and a 52-week 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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 22.12%. The firm had revenue of $204.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $200.01 million. As a group, analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 90,709 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 12,017 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 33.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 39,138 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 9,806 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter valued at $101,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 87.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 105,055 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 48,876 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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