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

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) reached a new 52-week high 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on UTI shares. Northland Securities initiated coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, TheStreet raised Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.40.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $568.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $15.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.29.

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

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total value of $131,395.33. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $301,400. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 27.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Washington University bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,886,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 297.3% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 4,629 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 426,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,573,000 after acquiring an additional 55,608 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 74,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,751 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 45.4% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 32,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 10,142 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

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.