Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Now Covered by Analysts at B. Riley

B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) in a report issued on Friday. The firm issued a buy rating and a $31.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on UTI. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Lake Street Capital upped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $25.36 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $27.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.12. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $13.66 and a 12-month high of $30.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. Equities analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total value of $981,103.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 227,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,065,911.44. This represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895 in the last 90 days. 15.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dumac Inc. acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $43,236,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,497,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219,052 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 73,048.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 879,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,296,000 after purchasing an additional 878,038 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1,377.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 518,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,324,000 after purchasing an additional 483,170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,638,000. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.