Pullen Investment Management LLC Acquires 28,831 Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI

Pullen Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) by 129.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 51,052 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,831 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the third quarter worth $27,924,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the third quarter valued at about $18,901,000. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 22.5% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,361,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,851,000 after buying an additional 433,824 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 95.7% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 822,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,773,000 after buying an additional 402,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 464.5% in the second quarter. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC now owns 476,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,148,000 after buying an additional 392,079 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $36.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $33.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 12 month low of $21.29 and a 12 month high of $40.41.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.08. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.98%. The company had revenue of $220.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.65 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George W. Brochick sold 5,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $182,950.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,810.44. This trade represents a 15.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shannon Lei Okinaka sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.74, for a total transaction of $347,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $688,129.92. This trade represents a 33.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 145,961 shares of company stock worth $5,248,127. Insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.50.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc (NYSE: UTI) is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI’s curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.