Private Management Group Inc. Sells 597,373 Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Private Management Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 43.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 766,269 shares of the company’s stock after selling 597,373 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. owned about 2.25% of Universal Technical Institute worth $9,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UTI. Washington University purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,886,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 15.0% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 426,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,573,000 after buying an additional 55,608 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 2.4% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 74,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $624,000 after buying an additional 1,751 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 45.4% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 32,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 10,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 6.6% during the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 627,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,262,000 after buying an additional 38,630 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

UTI traded up $0.10 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 279,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 607,171. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a one year low of $5.63 and a one year high of $16.37. The firm has a market cap of $498.25 million, a PE ratio of 55.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.77.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.11. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The business had revenue of $174.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.19 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 0.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on UTI. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Tuesday. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total value of $131,395.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $301,400. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.