Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Receives $42.50 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.50.

UTI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barrington Research boosted their target price 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. Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 target price 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 report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Northland Securities set a $41.00 price target on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, May 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 30,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.99, for a total transaction of $1,109,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 129,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,581.25. The trade was a 18.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 60,040 shares of Universal Technical Institute 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 430,215 shares in the company, valued at $15,036,014.25. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 159,211 shares of company stock valued at $5,744,337 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 47.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 44,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 14,364 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the first quarter valued at about $1,226,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 23.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 5,216 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 13.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 84,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,163,000 after purchasing an additional 9,951 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $39.12 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.80 and its 200-day moving average is $31.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 50.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $21.29 and a 12-month high of $41.53.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $221.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

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.