Brokerages Set Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) PT at $15.20

Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.40.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com cut Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Northland Securities assumed coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of UTI stock opened at $15.41 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $525.17 million, a PE ratio of 58.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.22. Universal Technical Institute has a 1 year low of $5.63 and a 1 year high of $16.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total transaction of $131,395.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $301,400. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 27.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 1,152.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 2,880 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 297.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 4,629 shares in the last quarter. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth approximately $102,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 2,296 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% 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.