Granahan Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in Universal Technical Institute Inc $UTI

Granahan Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) by 107.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 124,246 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 64,421 shares during the period. Granahan Investment Management LLC owned about 0.23% of Universal Technical Institute worth $4,044,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 10.6% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 241,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,871,000 after acquiring an additional 23,092 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 135,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,421,000 after purchasing an additional 31,505 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 3rd quarter valued at $254,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 52,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,695,000 after purchasing an additional 5,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter worth $2,467,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Carolyn Ann Frank sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.08, for a total value of $52,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 30,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $910,581.76. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Todd A. Hitchcock sold 16,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total transaction of $615,945.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 104,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,885,455.72. This trade represents a 13.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 140,961 shares of company stock worth $5,065,177 over the last ninety days. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on UTI shares. Zacks Research raised Universal Technical Institute from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.20.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Shares of UTI opened at $36.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Universal Technical Institute Inc has a 1-year low of $21.29 and a 1-year high of $38.02. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.00.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 6.28%.The company had revenue of $220.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.65 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

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.