Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 2,335 Shares of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,623 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,335 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal Technical Institute were worth $684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 6,256.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 380.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 3,056 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal Technical Institute by 1,526.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 3,815 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Universal Technical Institute during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $152,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the third quarter valued at approximately $174,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.67% of the company’s stock.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Performance

NYSE:UTI opened at $26.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.00 and its 200 day moving average is $22.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 27.07, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.45. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.66 and a fifty-two week high of $30.56.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.22. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 21.25%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barrington Research upped their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Northland Securities increased their price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley raised their price objective on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Universal Technical Institute from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price target on Universal Technical Institute from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $31.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director George W. Brochick sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 18.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 15.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Universal Technical Institute

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.