United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $549.50 and last traded at $542.0180, with a volume of 270387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $531.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UTHR. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.91.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $494.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $471.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The firm had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.19 EPS. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.51, for a total value of $10,788,975.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.91, for a total value of $4,654,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 130 shares in the company, valued at $63,688.30. This trade represents a 98.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 336,820 shares of company stock worth $166,359,058. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.6% during the 3rd 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. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, NDVR Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 616 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

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.