Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Stock Price Up 5.6% – Still a Buy?

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) shot up 5.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $37.90 and last traded at $38.0050. 315,982 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 905,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barrington Research raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $41.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.04, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.23.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 13.02%. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total transaction of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 127,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,667,566.76. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $181,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,025 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,000. This trade represents a 14.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,117,545 shares of company stock valued at $128,998,420. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTI. Coliseum Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,173 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1,366.0% in the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,292,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,646,000 after buying an additional 1,203,985 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,217,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140,465 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,599,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,797,000 after purchasing an additional 631,070 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 168.8% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 995,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,008,000 after purchasing an additional 625,102 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.