Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Trading Down 6.9% – Time to Sell?

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI)’s stock price was down 6.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $43.40 and last traded at $43.4360. 397,908 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 890,615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UTI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target 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. Finally, Barrington Research lifted their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.69, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.79.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. As a group, analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 94,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $3,912,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 335,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,898,601. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total transaction of $155,470.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 43,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,910,326.52. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,117,545 shares of company stock valued at $128,998,420. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Leuthold Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 141,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,704,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 21,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. ANB Bank increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. ANB Bank now owns 8,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.