Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 16,603 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,994 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 16,603 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.19% of United Therapeutics worth $26,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $151,764,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $101,354,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,422,000 after acquiring an additional 221,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 709,043 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $250,179,000 after purchasing an additional 157,363 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $405.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 price objective (down previously from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $383.08.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded up $4.77 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $297.89. 372,402 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 441,790. The company's 50-day moving average is $300.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $317.59. The firm has a market cap of $13.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a PEG ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 0.53. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $266.98 and a 52-week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.44% and a return on equity of 19.33%. The business had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.17 EPS. United Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total transaction of $879,225.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,613,606.40. This represents a 13.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.99, for a total value of $187,043.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,416,021.17. The trade was a 11.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 70,681 shares of company stock worth $21,283,379 over the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Therapeutics 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.