First Trust Advisors LP Trims Stock Position in Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) by 31.4% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 122,048 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,826 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $4,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter valued at $27,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 543.5% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 888 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the first quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,310 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UTI shares. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI stock opened at $42.17 on Wednesday. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a twelve month low of $21.29 and a twelve month high of $51.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.25.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 13.02%. The business had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.61 million. On average, analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total value of $155,470.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 43,006 shares in the company, valued at $1,910,326.52. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $181,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,081,000. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,117,545 shares of company stock worth $128,998,420 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

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.