Palo Alto Investors LP Takes $33.91 Billion Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Palo Alto Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 62,587 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,911,514,000. United Therapeutics accounts for about 4.7% of Palo Alto Investors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.14, for a total value of $4,342,062.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $23,631,280.08. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $517.28, for a total transaction of $4,914,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,827,875.04. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 424,075 shares of company stock valued at $227,336,485. 8.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on UTHR shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of UTHR opened at $527.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $302.19 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $530.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $538.86.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.41 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 earnings per share for the current year.

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.