United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $542.26 and last traded at $542.3740, with a volume of 143512 shares. The stock had previously closed at $529.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $423.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $539.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $23.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50-day moving average of $483.03 and a 200 day moving average of $455.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The company had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.19 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Ray Kurzweil sold 4,910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.02, for a total transaction of $2,401,088.20. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,670 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,195,883.40. This represents a 27.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher Causey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $520.00, for a total transaction of $520,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,190 shares in the company, valued at $2,178,800. This trade represents a 19.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 329,497 shares of company stock valued at $160,170,312. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 74.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,189,617,000 after buying an additional 1,042,711 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Global Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $317,617,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $293,418,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 90.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,703 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $254,219,000 after purchasing an additional 419,588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avoro Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,269,803,000 after acquiring an additional 383,838 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.