United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Has Average Target Price of $627.31

Key Points

• United Therapeutics has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 14 analysts, with 11 buys, two holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $627.31, though targets range from Goldman Sachs’ $321 sell target to JPMorgan’s $687 overweight target.
• UTHR shares opened at $549.16 and were reported up 3.1%, trading between a 12-month low of $409.07 and high of $609.35. The company has a $23.55 billion market capitalization and trades at a P/E ratio of 19.65.
• United Therapeutics beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $7.27 versus the $6.86 consensus, but revenue of $783.3 million fell short of estimates and declined 1.9% year over year. Insiders have sold 364,728 shares worth about $187.9 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 94.08% of the stock.

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $627.31.

A number of analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They set a "sell" rating and a $321.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings cut United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 3.1%

UTHR stock opened at $549.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $512.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $540.00. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $409.07 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The firm's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 26.40 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $516.06, for a total transaction of $4,902,570.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,432,054.58. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 364,728 shares of company stock valued at $187,920,726 in the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $81,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions. The company's products include Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable form of treprostinil; Orenitram, an oral treprostinil product; and Adcirca, a tadalafil-based PAH treatment.

United Therapeutics markets its therapies primarily in the United States and internationally through commercial and regulatory activities in additional markets.

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