B. Riley Upgrades Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) to Strong-Buy

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was upgraded by stock analysts at B. Riley to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on UTI. Northland Securities upped their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $25.36 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.30 and a 200-day moving average of $23.12. The firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Technical Institute has a 52 week low of $13.66 and a 52 week high of $30.56.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total transaction of $269,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 157,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,249,017.85. This trade represents a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares in the company, 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 sold 94,219 shares of company stock valued at $2,569,895 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI acquired a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 380.6% during the third 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. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the 4th quarter worth $118,000. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.