Nitorum Capital L.P. Sells 17,373 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Nitorum Capital L.P. reduced its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation by 18.2% in the 1st quarter, now owning 78,047 shares valued at approximately $24 million.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in United Therapeutics, with Allianz Asset Management boosting its position by 96.9%, owning 67,576 shares valued at about $20.8 million.
• Equities analysts have mixed views on the stock, with price targets ranging from $328.00 to $564.00, and an overall average target of $423.85, indicating a Moderate Buy rating.

Nitorum Capital L.P. lessened its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 18.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,047 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 17,373 shares during the period. United Therapeutics makes up approximately 3.4% of Nitorum Capital L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Nitorum Capital L.P. owned about 0.17% of United Therapeutics worth $24,060,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in United Therapeutics by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,457,135 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,374,001,000 after purchasing an additional 15,312 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in United Therapeutics by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 624,711 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $192,571,000 after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in United Therapeutics by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 518,450 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $159,823,000 after purchasing an additional 89,290 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in United Therapeutics by 22.5% in the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 477,757 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $147,278,000 after purchasing an additional 87,664 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 468,996 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $165,490,000 after acquiring an additional 8,577 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $429.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.64, for a total value of $9,396,900.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,416,021.17. This trade represents a 11.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 118,181 shares of company stock worth $39,441,679 over the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 5.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $20.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $400.52. The stock had a trading volume of 924,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 865,507. The business's 50 day moving average price is $307.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $305.37. The company has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $266.98 and a 1 year high of $436.95.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). The business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.36% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.85 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.