United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock: Insider Martine Rothblatt Sells 9,500 Shares

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.22, for a total transaction of $5,664,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $193,439,405.46. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.9%

United Therapeutics stock traded up $5.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $601.32. 595,234 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 555,370. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $528.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $531.14. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $430.02 and a twelve month high of $609.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The company had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.41 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the biotechnology company to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, PFS Partners LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $45,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $717.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on United Therapeutics from $708.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $667.07.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.