Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) Short Interest Update

Universal Technical Institute Inc (NYSE:UTI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in 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 shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,104,350 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Christine Kline sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total transaction of $155,470.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 43,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,910,326.52. This represents a 7.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Linda J. Srere sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.59, for a total value of $548,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 127,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,667,566.76. The trade was a 10.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,018,500 shares of company stock valued at $124,904,320. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 68.5% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 152,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,964,000 after buying an additional 61,971 shares in the last quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 73.3% during the 4th quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 68,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after buying an additional 28,972 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 89.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 231,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,055,000 after buying an additional 109,100 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 132.9% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,998,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,217,000 after buying an additional 1,140,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Granahan Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 124,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,044,000 after buying an additional 64,421 shares in the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UTI opened at $38.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Universal Technical Institute has a 1-year low of $21.29 and a 1-year high of $45.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $38.23 and its 200 day moving average is $32.91.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $221.40 million for 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Technical Institute from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.25.

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.