B. Riley Financial Cuts Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Price Target to $48.00

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 9th, 2026

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI – Free Report) had its price target cut by B. Riley Financial from $49.00 to $48.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

UTI has been the topic of several other research reports. Barrington Research increased their target price on shares of Universal Technical Institute from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research note on Thursday. Northland Securities set a $41.00 price target on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Griffin Securities set a $49.00 price objective on Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Universal Technical Institute from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.83.

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Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of UTI opened at $28.92 on Thursday. Universal Technical Institute has a 1 year low of $21.29 and a 1 year high of $51.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.97. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.25.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $218.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $220.40 million. Universal Technical Institute had a net margin of 3.88% and a return on equity of 10.18%. On average, analysts forecast that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Technical Institute news, insider Kevin Prehn sold 4,545 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $181,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,081,000. This represents a 14.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jerome Alan Grant sold 94,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $3,912,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 335,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,898,601. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,117,545 shares of company stock valued at $128,998,420 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal Technical Institute

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UTI. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the second quarter worth about $323,080,000. Coliseum Capital Management LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 3,971,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,173 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,361,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,851,000 after purchasing an additional 433,824 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,140,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Universal Technical Institute by 65.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,599,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,797,000 after buying an additional 631,070 shares during the period. 75.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Universal Technical Institute News

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal Technical Institute this week:

Positive Sentiment: Management anticipates fiscal 2026 revenue of approximately $893 million to $900 million and plans to add 20% more high-school admissions staff, signaling continued investment in student recruitment and potential enrollment growth. UTI anticipates fiscal 2026 revenue and adds admissions staff
Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its “buy” rating with a $45 price target, while B. Riley maintained a “buy” rating and trimmed its target only modestly to $48. These targets imply substantial upside and may support investor confidence. Analyst rating and price target updates
Positive Sentiment: UTI’s latest quarterly results included EPS of $0.04, ahead of the $0.02 consensus estimate, although revenue was slightly below expectations. The earnings beat provides some support for the stock.
Neutral Sentiment: Northland Securities now estimates fiscal 2026 EPS of $0.60, first-quarter fiscal 2027 EPS of $0.16, second-quarter EPS of $0.05, fourth-quarter EPS of $0.39, and full-year fiscal 2027 EPS of $0.73. These forecasts provide a lower baseline for investors to assess upcoming results.
Negative Sentiment: Northland cut its fiscal 2026 EPS forecast from $0.76 to $0.60 and reduced its fiscal 2027 estimate from $0.87 to $0.73. Quarterly estimates were also lowered, including a reduction in second-quarter fiscal 2027 EPS from $0.11 to $0.05. The revisions suggest weaker expected profitability and counterbalance the positive guidance and analyst price targets.

About Universal Technical Institute

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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.