13,981 Shares in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Acquired by Persistent Asset Partners Ltd

Key Points

• Persistent Asset Partners acquired 13,981 United Therapeutics shares worth approximately $7.6 million, making UTHR its seventh-largest holding and 2.3% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 94.08% of the company.
• United Therapeutics beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.27 in EPS versus the $6.86 consensus, though revenue of $783.3 million fell short of estimates and declined 1.9% year over year.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including the CEO and an executive vice president; insiders sold 443,075 shares worth about $241.5 million over the past 90 days. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $646.

Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,981 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $7,575,000. United Therapeutics accounts for 2.3% of Persistent Asset Partners Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leuthold Group LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 41.4% during the fourth quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 10,672 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,126 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 225,849 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $110,045,000 after acquiring an additional 70,445 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 478.5% in the fourth quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP now owns 4,553 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 171.6% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,142 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Fleet Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $633,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $515.03, for a total value of $4,892,785.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,097,878.29. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $517.05, for a total transaction of $4,291,515.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,356,182.60. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 443,075 shares of company stock worth $241,508,744. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $499.73 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $302.19 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $535.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $536.15.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The firm's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.41 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price 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. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation NASDAQ: UTHR is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company's primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.

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