Barrington Research Raises Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Price Target to $20.00

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Barrington Research from $18.00 to $20.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Barrington Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 38.22% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. TheStreet raised Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com cut Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Northland Securities initiated coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.80.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Universal Technical Institute stock traded down $2.22 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $14.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 340,974 shares, compared to its average volume of 607,033. The stock has a market cap of $493.14 million, a PE ratio of 56.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Universal Technical Institute has a 52 week low of $5.63 and a 52 week high of $17.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $15.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.29.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total transaction of $131,395.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $301,400. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 27.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 8.3% during the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 15,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 74,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 1,751 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 1,152.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 2,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 3,557 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

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.