Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Stock Rating Upgraded by B. Riley

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was upgraded by analysts at B. Riley to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research upped their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UTI opened at $25.36 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. Universal Technical Institute has a 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $30.56.

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

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $963,360.03. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total value of $981,103.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 227,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,065,911.44. This represents a 13.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 94,219 shares of company stock valued at $2,569,895. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTI. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 12,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 777 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 23,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 1,294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 9.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 2,083 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

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.