United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR – Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 7,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.64, for a total value of $4,663,400.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 326,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,582,180.24. This represents a 2.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
United Therapeutics Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $42.77 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $565.72. The company had a trading volume of 602,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,515. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $444.04 and a 1-year high of $614.23. The firm has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $532.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $532.45.
United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.16 EPS. Analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current year.
United Therapeutics declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biotechnology company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 33.1% during the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,536 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,975 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 288.1% in the 3rd quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 3,524 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,910,000 after buying an additional 2,616 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 40,014 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $21,683,000 after buying an additional 972 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $599,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.
United Therapeutics News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets and maintained positive ratings: BTIG lifted its target to $768 with a Buy rating, RBC raised its target to $725 with an Outperform rating, and TD Cowen raised its target to $700 with a Buy rating. These revisions point to substantial potential upside in analysts’ view. BTIG analyst update RBC rating TD Cowen rating
- Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, beating analyst expectations of about $781 million. The earnings-call coverage also pointed to stronger growth prospects and Tyvaso momentum. Q3 financial results Earnings-call highlights
- Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics announced a buyout of Pfizer royalties tied to a lung-disease therapy, which may improve the company’s future economics from the treatment. Royalty buyout report
- Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 fell short of the approximately $6.01 consensus and declined from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss, despite the revenue beat, likely weighed on shares as investors focused on profitability. Q3 EPS report
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
UTHR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $697.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $676.40.
Check Out Our Latest Report on United Therapeutics
About United Therapeutics
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.
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