Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Stake in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• HSBC increased its United Therapeutics stake by 6.6% in the second quarter, adding 7,890 shares to own 127,125 shares valued at approximately $68.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.08% of the company.
• United Therapeutics insiders sold 384,575 shares worth about $204 million over the past quarter, including significant sales by CEO Martine Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with 11 Buy ratings and two Holds and a consensus price target of $646. The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.27 per share, though revenue declined 1.9% year over year.

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 6.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 127,125 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,890 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.30% of United Therapeutics worth $68,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 77.3% during the second 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 period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $493.46, for a total transaction of $4,687,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $160,099,642.78. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $482.03, for a total value of $4,000,849.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,774,259.16. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 384,575 shares of company stock worth $204,028,738 over the last quarter. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings cut United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $487.61 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $524.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $540.05. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $375.61 and a 52 week high of $609.35. The stock has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.56.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.41 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics Profile

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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