Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Short Interest Up 63.3% in May

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 5,377,844 shares, a growth of 63.3% from the May 14th total of 3,293,481 shares. Approximately 10.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,104,350 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UTI shares. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price target on Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Technical Institute news, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total value of $155,470.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 43,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,910,326.52. The trade was a 7.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 127,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,667,566.76. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 3,018,500 shares of company stock valued at $124,904,320 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 65.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 254,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,191,000 after buying an additional 100,570 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 28.3% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 25,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $917,000 after buying an additional 5,599 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 31.3% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 67,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,427,000 after buying an additional 16,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 6.9% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 24,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,000 after buying an additional 1,583 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 0.9%

Universal Technical Institute stock opened at $38.81 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 50.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. Universal Technical Institute has a one year low of $21.29 and a one year high of $45.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.27 and a 200 day moving average of $33.02.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $221.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.61 million. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 4.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

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.