Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Grows Stock Position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 768.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,702 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,391 shares during the period. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $953,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $85,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded up $0.75 during trading on Friday, reaching $294.60. The company had a trading volume of 583,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 444,404. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $301.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $255.93 and a 1-year high of $417.82.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 3,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.57, for a total transaction of $856,710.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,747.50. This trade represents a 63.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.78, for a total value of $3,121,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,437,712.18. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 85,500 shares of company stock valued at $27,782,280 over the last quarter. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $314.00 target price (down previously from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.00.

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.