Meeder Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 418.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,851 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,337 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 3rd quarter valued at about $188,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 198.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 345,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,622,000 after acquiring an additional 229,738 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 73,048.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 879,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,296,000 after acquiring an additional 878,038 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $279,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. Northland Securities increased their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted 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 increased their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barrington Research boosted 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $25.65 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.28. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.66 and a 12-month high of $30.56. 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 (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total value of $981,103.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 227,358 shares in the company, valued at $6,065,911.44. This trade represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at $963,360.03. This represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 15.10% 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.