Universal Technical Institute, Inc.'s (NYSE:UTI) P/E Is Still On The Mark Following 29% Share Price Bounce

Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 29% share price jump in the last month. Looking back a bit further, it's encouraging to see the stock is up 39% in the last year.

Since its price has surged higher, given close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 17x, you may consider Universal Technical Institute as a stock to avoid entirely with its 29.9x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

Recent times have been advantageous for Universal Technical Institute as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. The P/E is probably high because investors think this strong earnings performance will continue. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Universal Technical Institute

Keen to find out how analysts think Universal Technical Institute's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

Is There Enough Growth For Universal Technical Institute?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Universal Technical Institute's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 428% last year. Still, EPS has barely risen at all from three years ago in total, which is not ideal. So it appears to us that the company has had a mixed result in terms of growing earnings over that time.

Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 38% each year as estimated by the five analysts watching the company. With the market only predicted to deliver 11% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Universal Technical Institute is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. It seems most investors are expecting this strong future growth and are willing to pay more for the stock.

The Final Word

Shares in Universal Technical Institute have built up some good momentum lately, which has really inflated its P/E. We'd say the price-to-earnings ratio's power isn't primarily as a valuation instrument but rather to gauge current investor sentiment and future expectations.

We've established that Universal Technical Institute maintains its high P/E on the strength of its forecast growth being higher than the wider market, as expected. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

There are also other vital risk factors to consider before investing and we've discovered 1 warning sign for Universal Technical Institute that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Universal Technical Institute. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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