Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 56,596 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management reduced its United Therapeutics stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 56,596 shares. Even after the sale, it still held 1,193,064 shares worth about $580.2 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, with CFO James Edgemond selling 10,000 shares and insiders collectively selling 601,473 shares over the past 90 days. The company says insiders still own 8.60% of the stock.
• United Therapeutics missed earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting EPS of $5.82 versus the $7.00 consensus and revenue of $781.5 million versus estimates of $797.4 million. Despite that, analysts remain mostly bullish, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $619.42.

Geode Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,193,064 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 56,596 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.77% of United Therapeutics worth $580,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 2.6% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,126 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 896 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 601,473 shares of company stock worth $337,090,644 in the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $556.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $566.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $515.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $272.12 and a 1 year high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The business had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics is still drawing support from bullish analyst coverage, including recent higher price targets and buy/overweight ratings, which suggests Wall Street remains constructive on the long-term outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to highlight clinical and business-development catalysts, including its PHINDER screening study, xenokidney/EXTEND trial progress, and a planned presentation at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, all of which help keep the growth story visible to investors. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate article referenced United Therapeutics in a broader mid-cap stock discussion, but it did not appear to contain company-specific new information likely to move the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares and CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares this week. Multiple insider sales can weigh on sentiment, especially when they come soon after a disappointing earnings report. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s most recent quarterly results missed estimates on both EPS and revenue, leaving investors with an ongoing fundamental overhang despite strong profitability metrics.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $619.42.

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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