Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 26,252 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking cut its stake in United Therapeutics by 48.6%, selling 26,252 shares in Q4 and leaving it with 27,786 shares valued at about $13.54 million (roughly 0.06% of the company).
• Company insiders have sold a total of 469,205 shares worth $253.86 million over the past three months, including COO Michael Benkowitz (22,500 shares at $470.95) and CFO James Edgemond (10,000 shares at $527.48); insiders now own 10.3% of the stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $601.50—several firms raised targets (Raymond James to $700)—after UTHR reported an EPS beat of $7.70 versus $6.78.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lowered its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 48.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,786 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 26,252 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.06% of United Therapeutics worth $13,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UTHR. Darwin Global Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $317,617,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $157,390,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 863.9% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 152,727 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $43,886,000 after buying an additional 136,883 shares during the last quarter. Sofinnova Investments Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,055,000. Finally, Orbimed Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,167,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.95, for a total transaction of $10,596,375.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 469,205 shares of company stock valued at $253,860,521 over the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $570.40 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $543.83 and a 200-day moving average of $497.42. The company has a market capitalization of $25.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.75. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current year.

About United Therapeutics

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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