Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

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

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barrington Research reissued an outperform rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. B. Riley restated a buy rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (up from $20.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $17.40.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $14.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $799.47 million, a P/E ratio of 41.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average is $14.97 and its 200 day moving average is $14.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. Universal Technical Institute has a fifty-two week low of $6.45 and a fifty-two week high of $17.09.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $184.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.01 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 2.97% and a return on equity of 10.55%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 6,288 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.22, for a total value of $95,703.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $208,696.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Washington University bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,886,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 55.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,375,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,872,000 after acquiring an additional 842,765 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,840,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,041,000 after acquiring an additional 63,445 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 437,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,480,000 after acquiring an additional 11,286 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 341.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 334,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,329,000 after buying an additional 258,532 shares during 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.