Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at B. Riley

B. Riley started coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) in a report released on Friday. The firm issued a buy rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities boosted 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 increased their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $25.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.22. Universal Technical Institute has a fifty-two week low of $13.66 and a fifty-two week high of $30.56.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 7.08%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In other news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 39,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.85, for a total transaction of $1,098,571.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 177,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,954,849.20. This represents a 18.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,360.03. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 94,219 shares of company stock worth $2,569,895 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 380.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 3,056 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter valued at about $101,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.