United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells 9,500 Shares

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.06, for a total transaction of $4,902,570.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,432,054.58. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $518.68. The stock had a trading volume of 522,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 484,892. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $542.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $533.07. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $291.22 and a twelve month high of $609.35. The firm has a market cap of $22.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.59.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America lowered their target price on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial started coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $648.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in United Therapeutics by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,189,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042,711 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $293,418,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,269,803,000 after buying an additional 383,838 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 75.1% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 796,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $387,801,000 after buying an additional 341,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $157,390,000. 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.