Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Raised to Strong-Buy at B. Riley

B. Riley upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on UTI. Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $25.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.17. Universal Technical Institute has a 12 month low of $13.66 and a 12 month high of $30.56. 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 (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total value of $1,098,571.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,954,849.20. This trade represents a 18.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Covestor Ltd grew its position in 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 during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 12,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after buying an additional 777 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 1,294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 9.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 2,083 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.