Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Sells 71,761 Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. decreased its holdings in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 71.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 28,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71,761 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UTI. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $845,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 12,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 822,000.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 8,220 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $993,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research raised 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $31.17.

Insider Activity at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total transaction of $981,103.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 227,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,065,911.44. This trade represents a 13.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 84,219 shares of company stock valued at $2,300,395 over the last ninety days. 15.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UTI opened at $26.52 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.77. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a one year low of $13.66 and a one year high of $30.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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.

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.