Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Sets New 12-Month High at $16.53

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $16.53 and last traded at $16.44, with a volume of 446217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTI has been the subject of a number of research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Northland Securities initiated coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Monday, April 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.40.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $561.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $174.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.19 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 2.41%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 0.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total value of $131,395.33. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $301,400. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Washington University bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,886,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,840,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,041,000 after buying an additional 63,445 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 627,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,262,000 after buying an additional 38,630 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 437,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,480,000 after buying an additional 11,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 277,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,327,000 after buying an additional 4,503 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.