Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.60.

UTI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. B. Riley reissued 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, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of UTI stock opened at $16.46 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $885.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.72, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.35. Universal Technical Institute has a one year low of $7.78 and a one year high of $19.79. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $17.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $177.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.33 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 3.82% and a return on equity of 12.66%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.05) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 68,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.53, for a total transaction of $1,192,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 136,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,391,845.79. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 27.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 95,120.0% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 9,512 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 10,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,000 after buying an additional 3,643 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter valued at about $167,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 1st quarter valued at about $181,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.