California State Teachers Retirement System Grows Stake in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System dramatically increased its United Therapeutics stake by 33.2 million shares in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 33.3 million shares valued at approximately $18.0 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 94.08% of UTHR.
• United Therapeutics insiders have been selling shares, including the CEO’s $4.7 million sale and an executive vice president’s $4.0 million sale. Insiders sold 384,575 shares worth about $204 million over the past three months.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 11 Buy ratings and two Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $646 price target. The company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, although revenue declined 1.9% year over year.

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 55,526.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,288,952 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,229,108 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 77.61% of United Therapeutics worth $18,036,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,868,735,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 74.5% during the fourth 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. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $450,140,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $293,418,000. Finally, Avoro Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 17.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 383,838 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.46, for a total value of $4,687,870.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $160,099,642.78. 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 is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $482.03, for a total value of $4,000,849.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,774,259.16. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 384,575 shares of company stock valued at $204,028,738 over the last three months. 8.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on UTHR shares. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

United Therapeutics stock opened at $487.61 on Tuesday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $375.61 and a 1-year high of $609.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day moving average is $524.81 and its 200 day moving average is $540.05.

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

United Therapeutics 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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