Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $20.16 Million Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 18.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,405 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,290 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.15% of United Therapeutics worth $20,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,375,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 577.1% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 189,780 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $66,962,000 after acquiring an additional 161,751 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,174 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $767,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Nkcfo LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $132,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,598 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of United Therapeutics stock traded down $2.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $283.35. 564,424 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,608. The stock has a market cap of $12.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $300.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.51.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.17 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,261,606.58. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This represents a 22.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,500 shares of company stock worth $20,828,390 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 price objective (down previously from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $393.08.

United Therapeutics 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.