Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $46.04 and last traded at $46.1950, with a volume of 621411 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $42.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UTI. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 target price on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.80.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 10.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.04. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.25.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%.The business had revenue of $221.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.61 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $548,850.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 127,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,667,566.76. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 94,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $3,912,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 335,715 shares in the company, valued at $13,898,601. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,117,545 shares of company stock worth $128,998,420 in the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Chatham Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 73.3% in the 4th quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 68,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after purchasing an additional 28,972 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 231,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,055,000 after acquiring an additional 109,100 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140,465 shares during the last quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 124,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 64,421 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Universal Technical Institute by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,456,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,508,000 after purchasing an additional 141,426 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal Technical Institute

Universal Technical Institute, Inc (NYSE: UTI) is a leading provider of post-secondary education for students pursuing careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, as well as in welding and CNC machining. The company designs and delivers hands-on training through a blend of classroom instruction and experiential lab work, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in the transportation, manufacturing and energy sectors. UTI’s curriculum emphasizes industry-recognized credentials and proprietary coursework developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure alignment with evolving employer needs.

Through a network of campus locations across the United States and select centers in Canada, Universal Technical Institute offers diploma and certificate programs ranging from 36 to 74 weeks in length.