Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Downgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Barrington Research upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Northland Securities started coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.20.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $15.17. The stock had a trading volume of 307,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 667,175. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.89. The firm has a market cap of $516.99 million, a P/E ratio of 58.35, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.20. Universal Technical Institute has a fifty-two week low of $5.63 and a fifty-two week high of $16.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $174.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTI. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 426,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,573,000 after purchasing an additional 55,608 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 74,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,751 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 45.4% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 32,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 10,142 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 627,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,262,000 after purchasing an additional 38,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 15,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 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 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.