Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Stock Price Up 5.6% – Should You Buy?

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI)’s stock price shot up 5.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $37.90 and last traded at $38.0050. Approximately 315,982 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 905,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UTI. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price target 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Down 2.5%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a PE ratio of 48.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released 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 analysts’ expectations of $221.61 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 94,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $13,898,601. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider owned 27,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,081,000. This trade represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,117,545 shares of company stock worth $128,998,420 in the last quarter. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coliseum Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,173 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 22.5% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,361,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,851,000 after buying an additional 433,824 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,217,000 after buying an additional 1,140,465 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,599,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,797,000 after buying an additional 631,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,296,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,826,000 after buying an additional 9,153 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.