Boothbay Fund Management LLC Increases Position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 70.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,162 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,276 shares during the quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $1,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,745,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,591,000 after buying an additional 44,103 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 194.0% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,847,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,497,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219,052 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,188,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,566,000 after purchasing an additional 6,743 shares during the period. Next Century Growth Investors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 991,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,498,000 after buying an additional 140,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 973,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,020,000 after buying an additional 136,642 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 36,773 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.68, for a total value of $981,103.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 227,358 shares in the company, valued at $6,065,911.44. The trade was a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $963,360.03. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 94,524 shares of company stock worth $2,578,450. 15.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

NYSE:UTI opened at $27.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.48. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.66 and a 12-month high of $30.56. 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 (NYSE:UTI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target 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. Northland Securities lifted their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley initiated coverage on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Friday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute Profile

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.