Empowered Funds LLC Raises Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 169.3%, owning 57,975 shares worth approximately $17.87 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• The biotechnology company's recent quarterly earnings revealed an EPS of $6.41, falling short of the expected $6.80, with revenue up 11.7% year-over-year.
• Several analysts have adjusted their target prices for United Therapeutics, with Wells Fargo raising it to $414.00 while Bank of America set a target of $463.00, reflecting a generally positive outlook.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 169.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,975 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 36,443 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.13% of United Therapeutics worth $17,872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $405.02. The stock had a trading volume of 626,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 565,230. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $266.98 and a one year high of $436.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $316.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $307.23. The firm has a market cap of $18.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $510.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $438.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 11,375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $397.41, for a total transaction of $4,520,538.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jan Malcolm sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.29, for a total value of $280,203.00. Following the sale, the director owned 520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $208,150.80. The trade was a 57.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 128,816 shares of company stock worth $45,836,113 in the last ninety days. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.