Key Points
- Sherrell Smith, EVP of Universal Technical Institute, sold 50,000 shares on May 12 at an average price of $33.84, a transaction worth about $1,692,000 that cut her stake to 41,219 shares (a 54.81% decrease).
- Smith also sold 22,671 and 30,000 shares on March 2 at roughly $37 per share, meaning insiders have sold more than $3.6 million of UTI stock year-to-date.
- UTI has a market cap of about $1.93 billion, recently beat quarterly EPS estimates (EPS $0.23 vs. $0.15) and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $36.20 average price target.
Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) COO Todd Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total transaction of $615,945.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 104,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,885,455.72. The trade was a 13.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance
Shares of UTI opened at $34.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $29.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.31. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 52 week low of $21.29 and a 52 week high of $38.02.
Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $220.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.65 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 6.28%. Equities analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on UTI. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal Technical Institute from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.20.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on UTI
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTI. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the third quarter worth about $18,901,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 68.5% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 152,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,964,000 after acquiring an additional 61,971 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter valued at about $721,000. Fortress Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,901,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 511.9% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 237,412 shares of the company's stock worth $8,046,000 after purchasing an additional 198,612 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Universal Technical Institute
(
Get Free Report)
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.
See Also

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].