United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 6.9%, holding 908,448 shares valued at approximately $273.31 million.
• Insider sales over the past 90 days totaled 84,681 shares of United Therapeutics stock, with significant transactions from directors resulting in notable decreases in their holdings.
• United Therapeutics reported a net revenue of $798.60 million for the last quarter, falling short of analysts' expectations, with earnings per share at $6.41 compared to the estimated $6.80.

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 6.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 908,448 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 66,996 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 2.01% of United Therapeutics worth $273,307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UTHR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $101,354,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $83,533,000. Amundi boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 198.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 350,193 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $107,635,000 after purchasing an additional 232,988 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,422,000 after purchasing an additional 221,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 46.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 465,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $143,381,000 after purchasing an additional 146,664 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,641,353.66. The trade was a 59.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total transaction of $879,225.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,613,606.40. This trade represents a 13.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 118,181 shares of company stock valued at $39,441,679 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on UTHR shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $429.62.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 5.3%

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $20.05 on Friday, hitting $400.52. 924,693 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 848,265. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $436.95. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $307.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $305.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.62.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.80 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $802.13 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.36% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The business's revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.