Dorsey Wright & Associates Acquires 5,839 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Dorsey Wright & Associates increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 113.9% in Q1, buying 5,839 additional shares and bringing its total to 10,967 shares valued at about $6.5 million.
• United Therapeutics reported Q1 earnings that missed expectations, posting $5.82 EPS versus the $7.00 consensus estimate, while revenue of $781.5 million also came in slightly below forecasts.
• Despite the earnings miss, the stock has broad analyst support, with 10 Buy ratings and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating; the average price target is $644.82.

Dorsey Wright & Associates boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 113.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,967 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,839 shares during the quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates' holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $6,503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 77.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,691,000 after acquiring an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.61, for a total transaction of $5,726,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,808,586.36. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 564,743 shares of company stock valued at $316,423,257. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR opened at $535.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $552.38 and a 200-day moving average of $530.14. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $272.12 and a one year high of $609.35. The company has a market cap of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.58.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The business had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $644.82.

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.

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