Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 49,542 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. has reduced its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 8.3%, selling 49,542 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 548,092 shares valued at approximately $169 million.
• United Therapeutics reported earnings of $6.63 per share for its last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue of $794.4 million, representing a 17.2% year-over-year increase.
• Several brokerages have adjusted their price targets for United Therapeutics, with an average target price of $383.08 and a current rating of "Moderate Buy" among analysts.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 548,092 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 49,542 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 1.22% of United Therapeutics worth $168,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 100.0% in 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. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Natixis bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $85,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UTHR. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 target price (down previously from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $383.08.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $306.41 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $300.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $316.60. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $266.98 and a 52-week high of $417.82. The company has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.23, a PEG ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.96, for a total value of $3,079,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $10,297,208.76. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of United Therapeutics 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 $5,613,606.40. This trade represents a 13.54% 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 in the last quarter. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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