Martine A. Rothblatt Sells 15,000 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.33, for a total value of $3,724,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,282.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $243.27 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 4.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $261.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $225.55 and a 200-day moving average of $227.39. The company has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.26 and a beta of 0.52.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.28 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $575.01 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 42.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.32 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $213.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, SVB Leerink began coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 28,326 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,244,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 229.6% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,063 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $1,160,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $66,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 187.5% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 877 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.