Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at B. Riley

Analysts at B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) in a report released on Friday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.34% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research increased their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities increased their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

NYSE:UTI opened at $26.42 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $30.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $27.32 and a 200-day moving average of $23.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49.

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 net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,360.03. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $981,103.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 227,358 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895. 15.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 856,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,920,000 after acquiring an additional 29,461 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 952,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,496,000 after purchasing an additional 85,417 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 362.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 376,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,691,000 after purchasing an additional 295,408 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 37.4% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 71,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,836,000 after buying an additional 19,453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 5,347.0% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 86,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,407,000 after buying an additional 84,964 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.