United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $328.40, but opened at $289.00. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $277.26, with a volume of 693,853 shares.

Specifically, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 8,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,641,353.66. The trade was a 59.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $405.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.08.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $300.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $332.08. The company has a market capitalization of $12.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.82 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.17 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1,657.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 179,205 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $55,217,000 after acquiring an additional 169,010 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 30,935 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $9,536,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Capital Impact Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $6,508,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 257,662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $79,429,000 after buying an additional 25,289 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.