Analysts Set Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Target Price at $32.17

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday. Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. B. Riley started coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. Northland Securities increased their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $32.82 on Tuesday. 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 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $33.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 33.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $27.24 and its 200-day moving average is $25.51.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $207.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. Sell-side 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, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total transaction of $1,098,571.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,954,849.20. The trade was a 18.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 94,524 shares of company stock worth $2,578,450. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTI. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $395,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 362.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 376,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,691,000 after buying an additional 295,408 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 690,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,763,000 after buying an additional 44,100 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Finally, Precision Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth $632,000. 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.