BNP Paribas Financial Markets Decreases Stock Holdings in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 74.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,849 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,745,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,591,000 after buying an additional 44,103 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,497,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219,052 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,566,000 after purchasing an additional 6,743 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,131,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,098,000 after purchasing an additional 109,255 shares during the period. Finally, Next Century Growth Investors LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 991,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,498,000 after purchasing an additional 140,246 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target (up previously from $35.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley assumed coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

NYSE UTI opened at $35.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.66 and a 12 month high of $36.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.64, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $29.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.38.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $207.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $196.63 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In other Universal Technical Institute news, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.36, for a total transaction of $917,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 80,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,686,180.56. This trade represents a 25.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 6,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.84, for a total transaction of $191,040.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,309.44. The trade was a 15.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 120,024 shares of company stock valued at $3,466,170 over the last ninety days. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.