Brokerages Set Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Price Target at $32.17

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

UTI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Friday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Northland Securities increased their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barrington Research upped their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Activity

In other Universal Technical Institute news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total value of $1,098,571.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,954,849.20. The trade was a 18.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 94,524 shares of company stock valued at $2,578,450. 15.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 362.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 376,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,691,000 after acquiring an additional 295,408 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 71,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,836,000 after buying an additional 19,453 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 566,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,569,000 after buying an additional 13,281 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the third quarter worth approximately $395,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 617,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,874,000 after acquiring an additional 205,716 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 4.6 %

UTI opened at $34.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.71. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $13.66 and a 1-year high of $34.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $207.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $196.63 million. 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 fiscal year.

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.