Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $20.50 and last traded at $20.97, with a volume of 1304335 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UTI. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $47.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, B. Riley Financial dropped their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.83.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $34.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.36.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.02. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 3.88%.The firm had revenue of $218.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.40 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Universal Technical Institute Inc will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jerome Grant sold 94,500 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $3,912,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 335,715 shares in the company, valued at $13,898,601. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $181,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 27,025 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,000. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,099,045 shares of company stock worth $128,294,100. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UTI. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter worth approximately $323,080,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 3,504.2% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,423,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,650,000 after purchasing an additional 2,356,195 shares during the period. Coliseum Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,774,000 after buying an additional 1,255,173 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1,366.0% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,292,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake 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 worth $52,217,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140,465 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by 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.