United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Price Target Raised to $768.00

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price objective hoisted by BTIG Research from $728.00 to $768.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the biotechnology company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $717.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Bank of America cut their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $708.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. UBS Group set a $725.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $710.00 to $695.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $676.40.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $3.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $562.02. The stock had a trading volume of 454,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 670,109. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $533.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $533.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics has a one year low of $444.04 and a one year high of $614.23.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.01 by ($0.30). The business had revenue of $832.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.16 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 26.09 earnings per share for the current year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the biotechnology company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.96, for a total transaction of $5,006,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,968,483.28. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 411,028 shares of company stock worth $218,476,169. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $514,016,000 after purchasing an additional 70,829 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $450,140,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,578 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $160,447,000 after purchasing an additional 51,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $159,522,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key United Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets and kept bullish ratings. BTIG maintained a Buy rating with a $768 target, citing Tyvaso momentum; Royal Bank of Canada raised its target to $725 and TD Cowen to $700. BTIG analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue increased 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, exceeding analyst expectations of about $781 million. The company also has a $2 billion share-repurchase authorization, which could support demand for its shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 missed the $6.01 consensus and was below $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings shortfall and year-over-year decline in EPS could offset the revenue beat.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt reported multiple share sales, while EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares. Insider sales can unsettle investors, although both executives retained substantial holdings after their transactions. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.