StockNews.com Lowers Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

UTI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barrington Research lifted their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an outperform rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, TheStreet raised Universal Technical Institute from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $15.20.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 5.0 %

UTI stock opened at $15.94 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $543.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.20. Universal Technical Institute has a 52 week low of $5.63 and a 52 week high of $16.37.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.11. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 2.41%. The firm had revenue of $174.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.19 million. On average, analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total value of $131,395.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $301,400. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Washington University purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,886,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,071,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,316,000 after acquiring an additional 47,025 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 19.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,918,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,075,000 after acquiring an additional 309,804 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,840,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,041,000 after purchasing an additional 63,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 0.7% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,537,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,605,000 after purchasing an additional 10,993 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

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.