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

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was upgraded by research analysts at B. Riley to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barrington Research increased their price objective 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. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Northland Securities boosted 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI traded down $1.15 on Thursday, hitting $25.36. The company had a trading volume of 1,216,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,395. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $13.66 and a 1-year high of $30.56.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. Analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total value of $269,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 157,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,249,017.85. This represents a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $963,360.03. This trade represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895 in the last quarter. 15.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Arcadia Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter worth $713,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 95,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,453,000 after purchasing an additional 30,250 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 74,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,910,000 after buying an additional 17,768 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 87,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,239,000 after buying an additional 18,625 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

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.