Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Raises Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 26.4%, owning approximately $88.13 million worth of shares.
• The stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $382.00, while recent earnings fell short of expectations, reporting $6.41 EPS against a $6.80 forecast.
• Insider selling activity included EVP Paul A. Mahon, who sold 11,000 shares, reducing his ownership by 23.02%, as insiders sold a total of 92,681 shares in the last ninety days.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 26.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 285,873 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 59,661 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.63% of United Therapeutics worth $88,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its position in United Therapeutics by 0.3% during the first quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,651 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,900,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 3.7% during the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.5% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,687 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $828,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.2% during the first quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 3,963 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,222,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings 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. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock traded down $2.48 on Friday, reaching $304.76. 418,774 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 795,594. The company has a market cap of $13.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $298.66 and a 200-day moving average of $305.68. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $266.98 and a one year high of $417.82.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UTHR shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $382.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $5,613,606.40. This represents a 13.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,356,133.75. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,681 shares of company stock worth $24,537,839. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About United Therapeutics

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.