Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Sells 22,500 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.51, for a total value of $10,788,975.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Michael Benkowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, January 5th, Michael Benkowitz sold 7,875 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.38, for a total transaction of $3,838,117.50.
• On Monday, January 5th, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,625 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.38, for a total transaction of $7,127,932.50.
• On Monday, December 29th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $502.79, for a total transaction of $11,312,775.00.
• On Monday, December 22nd, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.35, for a total value of $11,572,875.00.
• On Monday, December 15th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.30, for a total value of $11,166,750.00.
• On Monday, December 8th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.58, for a total value of $10,768,050.00.
• On Monday, December 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.91, for a total value of $10,797,975.00.
• On Monday, November 24th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.66, for a total value of $10,657,350.00.
• On Monday, November 17th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.43, for a total value of $10,584,675.00.
• On Monday, November 10th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.07, for a total transaction of $10,171,575.00.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $5.53 on Tuesday, hitting $476.86. 340,244 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 402,977. The stock has a market cap of $20.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $519.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $484.81 and a 200-day moving average of $404.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The biotechnology company reported $7.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.27. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.65% and a return on equity of 18.83%. The business had revenue of $799.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $812.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $587.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $414.00 to $423.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $447.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $509.50.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 2.6% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,126 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in United Therapeutics by 9.5% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 356 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. F m Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 2,580 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,235 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company’s primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.