Inspire Investing LLC Sells 1,237 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Inspire Investing LLC reduced its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 14.8%, selling 1,237 shares and holding 7,114 shares valued at $2,193,000.
• Insiders, including COO Michael Benkowitz and CEO Martine A. Rothblatt, sold a significant number of shares, with insiders selling a total of 128,816 shares worth about $45.8 million in the last quarter.
• Analysts have varying price targets for United Therapeutics, with estimates ranging significantly; Bank of America set a target of $463.00 while Oppenheimer targets $575.00, reflecting optimism among certain analysts.

Inspire Investing LLC lessened its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 14.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,114 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 1,237 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $2,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,457,135 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,374,001,000 after buying an additional 15,312 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 624,711 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $192,571,000 after acquiring an additional 4,145 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 518,450 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $159,823,000 after purchasing an additional 89,290 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 22.5% during the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 477,757 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $147,278,000 after purchasing an additional 87,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 465,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $143,381,000 after purchasing an additional 146,664 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR stock traded up $0.18 on Friday, reaching $405.02. 626,423 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 867,639. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $436.95. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $318.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $307.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UTHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $510.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $438.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 4,560 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.36, for a total transaction of $1,839,321.60. Following the sale, the director owned 8,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,420,492.80. This represents a 34.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 11,375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.41, for a total transaction of $4,520,538.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,816 shares of company stock worth $45,836,113 in the last quarter. 10.30% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.