AJOVista LLC Invests $78,000 in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 6,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Universal Technical Institute by 1,152.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 2,880 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the 4th quarter worth $102,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the 3rd quarter worth $104,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 8.3% in the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 15,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

UTI stock traded up $0.20 on Friday, reaching $15.61. The company had a trading volume of 1,280,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 402,329. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.63 and a 1 year high of $16.37. The company has a market cap of $531.99 million, a P/E ratio of 60.04, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s fifty day moving average is $14.96 and its 200 day moving average is $13.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $174.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.19 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 9.25%. On average, research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 0.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UTI shares. StockNews.com cut Universal Technical Institute from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, TheStreet raised Universal Technical Institute from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 8,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.07, for a total transaction of $131,395.33. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $301,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 27.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

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.