Wall Street Zen Upgrades Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) from a "sell" to a "hold", while the analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $36.20.
• UTI posted a quarterly beat with $0.23 EPS versus $0.15 expected and revenue of $220.84M (vs. $216.65M), with a net margin of 6.28% and ROE of 16.98%.
• Insiders have been selling: CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares for about $2.10M, and insiders disposed of 130,961 shares (~$4.72M) over the past three months, while insiders still own 9.80% of the company.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.20.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

NYSE UTI opened at $34.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $29.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.61. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $21.29 and a 1-year high of $38.02.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.98%. The business had revenue of $220.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.65 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.95, for a total value of $2,098,398.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 430,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,036,014.25. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Carolyn Ann Frank sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total transaction of $52,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 30,272 shares in the company, valued at $910,581.76. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 130,961 shares of company stock valued at $4,717,777. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTI. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 187.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 17,142.9% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,207 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.67% of the company's stock.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc NYSE: UTI is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI's curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.

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