Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Shares Up 6% – Should You Buy?

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price target on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.25.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $37.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.77. The company has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.73, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.25.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 127,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,667,566.76. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total transaction of $182,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,810.44. This represents a 15.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 30,000 shares of company stock worth $1,079,200 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Coliseum Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,173 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,456,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,508,000 after purchasing an additional 141,426 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 433,824 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 65.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,599,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,797,000 after buying an additional 631,070 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.