Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.20.

UTI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L purchased 467,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.40 per share, for a total transaction of $11,395,288.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,424,374 shares in the company, valued at $83,554,725.60. This represents a 15.79% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,255,173 shares of company stock valued at $30,812,798 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 187.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 17,142.9% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE UTI traded down $0.38 on Thursday, hitting $26.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 87,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 621,763. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.10. Universal Technical Institute has a 52-week low of $21.29 and a 52-week high of $36.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.60, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.36.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $220.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $216.65 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.98%. Research analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc (NYSE: UTI) is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI’s curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.