Universal Technical Institute’s (UTI) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Barrington Research

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Barrington Research in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Barrington Research’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 27.99% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Lake Street Capital upped their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities increased their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, B. Riley started coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI stock traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $27.35. 373,715 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 557,557. Universal Technical Institute has a twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $30.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.13. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.48.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total transaction of $269,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 157,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,249,017.85. This trade represents a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 94,427 shares of company stock worth $2,575,729 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dumac Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter valued at $43,236,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% during the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,497,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219,052 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 1,377.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 518,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,324,000 after purchasing an additional 483,170 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter worth about $7,638,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 362.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 376,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,691,000 after purchasing an additional 295,408 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

Universal Technical Institute, Inc provides transportation, skilled trades, and healthcare education programs in the United States. The company operates in two segments, UTI and Concorde. It offers certificate, diploma, or degree programs under various brands, such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology.