Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells 9,500 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.40, for a total transaction of $5,466,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,311,180.20. This trade represents a 19.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR traded down $8.66 during trading on Thursday, hitting $562.09. 513,526 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 479,595. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $565.54 and a 200 day moving average of $514.75. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $272.12 and a 12-month high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $797.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. 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 increased their price target 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. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $619.42.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.