Axa S.A. Trims Stock Position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

AXA S.A. cut its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 23.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,812 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 15,037 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A. owned 0.11% of United Therapeutics worth $16,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $85,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America raised shares of United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $392.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR stock traded up $0.73 during trading on Thursday, hitting $307.65. The stock had a trading volume of 530,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,820. United Therapeutics Co. has a twelve month low of $260.41 and a twelve month high of $417.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $300.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $343.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.93, for a total transaction of $3,310,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,068,506.33. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total transaction of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,703,424. The trade was a 22.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,500 shares of company stock valued at $24,245,880 over the last 90 days. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.