Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.25.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

UTI stock opened at $38.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.19 and a 200-day moving average of $32.71. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $21.29 and a 12-month high of $45.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.58, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.25.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%.The firm had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.61 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total transaction of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 127,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,667,566.76. The trade was a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 3,000,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $124,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 971,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,217,616. This represents a 75.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,023,500 shares of company stock valued at $125,087,270. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTI. Coliseum Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,173 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 1,366.0% in the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,292,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203,985 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,217,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140,465 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 65.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,599,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,797,000 after acquiring an additional 631,070 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 168.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 995,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,008,000 after acquiring an additional 625,102 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.