Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Stock Price Up 6% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) shot up 6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $26.08 and last traded at $26.3260. 94,975 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 762,949 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UTI shares. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research cut Universal Technical Institute from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.83.

Universal Technical Institute Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.72. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.37.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $222.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $219.33 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.54% and a return on equity of 25.65%. Universal Technical Institute has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.710-0.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Coliseum Capital Management, L bought 467,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.40 per share, for a total transaction of $11,395,288.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,424,374 shares in the company, valued at $83,554,725.60. The trade was a 15.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 1,255,173 shares of company stock worth $30,812,798. Company insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTI. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 1st quarter worth approximately $256,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 12.2% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 419,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,765,000 after acquiring an additional 45,447 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 435.0% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 206,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,307,000 after purchasing an additional 168,034 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 34.9% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 44,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 11,488 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 778.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 188,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,851,000 after purchasing an additional 167,396 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Company 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.