Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Now Covered by B. Riley

B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) in a research report issued on Friday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 22.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities raised their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research upped their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $25.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Universal Technical Institute has a 1 year low of $13.66 and a 1 year high of $30.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. On average, analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total value of $269,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 157,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,249,017.85. This represents a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,219 shares of company stock valued at $2,569,895 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 380.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 3,056 shares during the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth $118,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.