Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by 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 stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE UTI traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $28.99. The company had a trading volume of 125,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 756,147. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.65. The company's fifty day moving average is $28.67 and its 200 day moving average is $29.88. Universal Technical Institute has a 52-week low of $15.14 and a 52-week high of $36.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $204.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.01 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 48.5% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 37,098 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 12,120 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 7.5% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 22,864 shares of the company's stock valued at $776,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 582.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 7,416 shares during the period. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% in the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. 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.