Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Takes $15.61 Million Position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Key Points

• Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by purchasing 50,627 shares valued at approximately $15.6 million, holding around 0.11% of the company as of the latest reporting period.
• Insider selling was reported with CFO James Edgemond selling 12,000 shares for about $3.9 million, representing a 59.65% decrease in his ownership.
• Analysts from UBS, JPMorgan Chase, and others have lowered their target prices for United Therapeutics, with the average target price now at $379.69 following recent performance and earnings results.

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 50,627 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $15,607,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of United Therapeutics at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,471,405 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $519,170,000 after purchasing an additional 393,777 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at $101,354,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $68,422,000 after acquiring an additional 221,202 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 488,854 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $172,487,000 after acquiring an additional 110,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 763.4% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 118,582 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $36,556,000 after acquiring an additional 104,847 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 target price on United Therapeutics and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $405.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.69.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.99, for a total transaction of $187,043.55. Following the sale, the director owned 4,883 shares in the company, valued at $1,416,021.17. This represents a 11.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total value of $3,904,440.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. This represents a 59.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 70,681 shares of company stock worth $21,318,359 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.7%

United Therapeutics stock traded down $2.05 during trading on Thursday, hitting $300.36. The stock had a trading volume of 62,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 513,368. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $266.98 and a 1 year high of $417.82. The stock's 50 day moving average is $297.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $312.30. The stock has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 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 firm had revenue of $798.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.85 EPS. United Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics Company 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.