Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Purchases 37,355 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its United Therapeutics stake by 79.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 37,355 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 84,538 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 94.08% of the company.
• United Therapeutics exceeded second-quarter EPS expectations with $7.27 versus the $6.86 consensus, though revenue declined 1.9% year over year to $783.3 million and missed estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $646, while investors monitor pipeline progress for ralinepag and substantial insider stock sales.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 79.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,538 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,355 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.20% of United Therapeutics worth $45,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,189,617,000 after acquiring an additional 1,042,711 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $293,418,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,269,803,000 after acquiring an additional 383,838 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in United Therapeutics by 75.1% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 796,101 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $387,801,000 after purchasing an additional 341,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $157,390,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Jan Malcolm sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.59, for a total value of $178,941.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $247,765.50. This represents a 41.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $517.05, for a total transaction of $4,291,515.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,356,182.60. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 482,833 shares of company stock worth $265,555,592. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations. United Therapeutics reported second-quarter EPS of $7.27, above the roughly $6.86 consensus and up from $6.41 a year earlier. Strong profitability, including a net margin above 40%, provides a favorable fundamental backdrop. United Therapeutics Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline milestones are offsetting near-term product concerns. Investors are focusing on progress for ralinepag, including its Phase 3 milestone and regulatory applications. The program could provide a new growth driver and reduce reliance on Tyvaso amid competitive pressures. EPS Strength and Ralinepag’s Phase 3 Milestone
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. H.C. Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating with a $660 price target. RBC maintained an Outperform rating and set a $677 target, despite reducing its previous target from $704. These targets indicate continued confidence in United Therapeutics’ longer-term prospects. Buy Rating Reiterated on United Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue fell short of estimates. Second-quarter revenue was $783.3 million, below the $804.65 million consensus and down 1.9% year over year. The revenue miss highlights near-term pressure even as earnings and pipeline updates were encouraging. United Therapeutics Q2 Earnings Results
• Negative Sentiment: Senior executives sold sizable positions. CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for approximately $4.9 million, while EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares for about $4.3 million. The transactions may reflect personal or scheduled sales, but the reductions in insider ownership could weigh on investor sentiment. United Therapeutics Insider Selling

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $538.84 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $292.34 and a 52-week high of $609.35. The company has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $539.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $534.22.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The firm had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $804.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UTHR. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $646.00.

About United Therapeutics

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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