Next Century Growth Investors LLC Raises Stake in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Next Century Growth Investors LLC raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Free Report) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 991,752 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 140,246 shares during the quarter. Universal Technical Institute makes up approximately 1.9% of Next Century Growth Investors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Next Century Growth Investors LLC owned 1.82% of Universal Technical Institute worth $25,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Universal Technical Institute by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,977 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 12,157 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,928 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 26,623 shares of the company's stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 2,335 shares during the period. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth $79,000. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In related news, EVP Sherrell Smith sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.95, for a total value of $269,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 157,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,249,017.85. The trade was a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $220,720.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,917 shares in the company, valued at $963,360.03. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,427 shares of company stock worth $2,575,729 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company's stock.

Universal Technical Institute Price Performance

Universal Technical Institute stock traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $28.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 372,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 556,510. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.66 and a twelve month high of $30.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $27.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.10.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Research analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UTI shares. Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Friday, March 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Northland Securities lifted their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $32.17.

Universal Technical Institute 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.