Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Director Sells 910 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Director Tommy Thompson sold 910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.59, for a total value of $455,536.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,245,003.20. The trade was a 9.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR traded up $10.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $517.13. 1,683,681 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 583,124. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $462.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $379.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.86. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $518.61.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The biotechnology company reported $7.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $799.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $812.87 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.65% and a return on equity of 18.83%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.39 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $414.00 to $423.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $505.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 40.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,273,161 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $362,876,000 after purchasing an additional 364,713 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 90.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,703 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $254,219,000 after buying an additional 419,588 shares during the period. Darwin Global Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $317,617,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 38.1% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 715,834 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $205,695,000 after buying an additional 197,384 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 22.5% in the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 477,757 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $147,278,000 after buying an additional 87,664 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.