Short Interest in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Increases By 64.1%

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a growth of 64.1% from the February 29th total of 1,170,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 406,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days. Approximately 4.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $229.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 4.28. United Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $204.44 and a 1 year high of $261.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $225.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $227.41.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.28 by $0.08. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The business had revenue of $614.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $575.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 25.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 23.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. Leerink Partnrs reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. SVB Leerink started coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $213.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.97, for a total value of $1,367,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,343,474.03. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,680 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.00, for a total transaction of $376,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $896. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.97, for a total transaction of $1,367,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $8,343,474.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 76,680 shares of company stock worth $17,886,630. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 38,698 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $8,427,000 after acquiring an additional 23,532 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,300 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $3,340,000. Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 362.4% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 5,433 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after buying an additional 4,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $15,447,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.