Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Shares Up 6% – Here’s What Happened

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI)’s stock price shot up 6% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $44.18 and last traded at $44.14. 694,122 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 847,013 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UTI. Barrington Research upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.25.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 0.8%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.07. 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 market cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.28, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $182,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,810.44. This represents a 15.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 127,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,667,566.76. The trade was a 10.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 47.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 44,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 14,364 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the first quarter valued at about $1,226,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 23.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 5,216 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 13.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 84,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,163,000 after buying an additional 9,951 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.