Candriam S.C.A. Grows Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 6.2%, owning a total of 79,213 shares valued at approximately $24.4 million.
• Insiders, including EVP Paul A. Mahon and CFO James Edgemond, sold a significant number of shares recently, with total insider sales reaching 81,681 shares valued at $24.6 million in the past ninety days.
• Equities analysts have mixed outlooks for United Therapeutics, with price targets ranging from $295 to $415, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 6.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 79,213 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 4,606 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.18% of United Therapeutics worth $24,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UTHR. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the first quarter worth about $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 103.2% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 193 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $63,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.75, for a total transaction of $3,396,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $11,356,133.75. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total value of $879,225.60. Following the sale, the director owned 19,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,613,606.40. This trade represents a 13.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,681 shares of company stock worth $28,014,609 over the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $1.57 on Friday, reaching $312.23. The stock had a trading volume of 576,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 751,685. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $266.98 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The business's 50-day moving average price is $297.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $307.34. The stock has a market cap of $14.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UTHR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 target price on United Therapeutics and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.00.

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.