Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at B. Riley

B. Riley upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research raised their target price 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. Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Northland Securities raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $25.36. 1,216,314 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 538,395. 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 has a 52-week low of $13.66 and a 52-week high of $30.56. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.12.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total transaction of $1,098,571.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,954,849.20. The trade was a 18.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI acquired a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at $79,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 380.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 3,056 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter worth about $101,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth about $118,000. 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.