Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) Short Interest Down 19.5% in December

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,030,000 shares, a decrease of 19.5% from the November 30th total of 1,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 430,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTI has been the topic of several research reports. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Northland Securities raised their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $24.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $26.33.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Down 2.1 %

UTI traded down $0.57 on Friday, hitting $25.96. The company had a trading volume of 339,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,992. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.53. Universal Technical Institute has a 12-month low of $12.14 and a 12-month high of $26.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kenneth R. Trammell sold 30,000 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.92, for a total transaction of $777,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 128,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,323,073.60. This trade represents a 18.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,004,788 shares of the company's stock worth $31,533,000 after purchasing an additional 36,135 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 9.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 952,799 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,496,000 after buying an additional 85,417 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 73,048.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 879,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,296,000 after buying an additional 878,038 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 3.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 856,091 shares of the company's stock worth $13,920,000 after acquiring an additional 29,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 5.4% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 765,562 shares of the company's stock worth $12,042,000 after acquiring an additional 39,553 shares during the last quarter. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.