Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $46.04 and last traded at $46.1950, with a volume of 621411 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on UTI shares. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 target price on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.36. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 62.49, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 1.23.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $221.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In other Universal Technical Institute news, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 94,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $3,912,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 335,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,898,601. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 3,000,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $124,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 971,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,217,616. This trade represents a 75.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,117,545 shares of company stock worth $128,998,420 in the last ninety days. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTI. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 543.5% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 187.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 1st quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 4,500.0% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 5,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 5,310 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.