Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) COO Sells $615,945.00 in Stock

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) COO Todd Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total value of $615,945.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 104,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,885,455.72. This trade represents a 13.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Universal Technical Institute stock traded down $0.08 on Friday, reaching $34.99. 528,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 806,183. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a fifty-two week low of $21.29 and a fifty-two week high of $38.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.31. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.55.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.20.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $18,901,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 68.5% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 152,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,964,000 after buying an additional 61,971 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter worth approximately $721,000. Fortress Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the second quarter worth approximately $5,901,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 511.9% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 237,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,046,000 after acquiring an additional 198,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

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.