Nuveen LLC Acquires Shares of 270,975 United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new stake of 270,975 shares in United Therapeutics Corporation, with a total value of approximately $83.53 million, making up about 0.60% of the company.
• Several institutional investors have increased their holdings, including Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, which has invested approximately $101.35 million in United Therapeutics.
• Wall Street analysts have varied opinions on United Therapeutics, with a consensus target price of $379.69 and ratings ranging from "buy" to "neutral."

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in 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 & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 270,975 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $83,533,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.60% of United Therapeutics as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UTHR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $101,354,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the 1st 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. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 46.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 465,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $143,381,000 after acquiring an additional 146,664 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 488,854 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $172,487,000 after acquiring an additional 110,298 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 763.4% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 118,582 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $36,556,000 after purchasing an additional 104,847 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 approximately $1,416,021.17. This represents a 11.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.96, for a total transaction of $3,079,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,297,208.76. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 81,681 shares of company stock worth $24,618,359 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

UTHR stock traded up $2.34 during trading on Thursday, hitting $312.06. 586,994 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 676,653. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $266.98 and a 52 week high of $417.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $295.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.63.

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. Research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share 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.