United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells 9,500 Shares

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $524.99, for a total value of $4,987,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares in the company, valued at $21,268,919.87. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $3.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $521.22. The stock had a trading volume of 514,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 442,888. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $490.39 and its 200 day moving average is $468.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $266.98 and a twelve month high of $548.12.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $549.91.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 76.7% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.