MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,847 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $2,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. Wall Street Zen cut United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $314.00 price target (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 25th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $392.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $307.65. 269,594 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 442,728. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $264.33 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $299.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $337.46.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total transaction of $797,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Raymond Dwek sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.55, for a total transaction of $1,138,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at $497,962.50. This trade represents a 69.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 45,500 shares of company stock worth $13,447,180. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.