Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Shares in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 9,149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,458,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UTHR. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 77.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,691,000 after purchasing an additional 5,600 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial began coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $619.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 555,473 shares of company stock valued at $310,786,074 over the last quarter. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $568.43 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $563.97 and its 200 day moving average is $513.01. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $272.12 and a 1 year high of $609.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.60.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.07 EPS 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.