Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Sells 14,658 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management trimmed its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.6%, selling 14,658 shares and holding 306,837 shares (about 0.71% of the company) valued at roughly $149.67 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers: the COO sold 22,500 shares at an average $470.95 and the CFO sold 10,000 shares at $527.48, with insiders offloading 430,205 shares worth $231.6 million over the past three months and now owning 10.30%.
• United Therapeutics posted an EPS beat ($7.70 vs. $6.78 expected) while revenue of $790.2 million missed estimates, and analysts maintain a generally positive view with an average target price of about $601.50 ("Moderate Buy").

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 306,837 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 14,658 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.71% of United Therapeutics worth $149,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 18.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 77.3% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,691,000 after acquiring an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 430,205 shares of company stock worth $231,615,836. Insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $566.99 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $538.38 and its 200-day moving average is $495.47. The stock has a market cap of $24.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.75. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $272.12 and a twelve month high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial initiated 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Profile

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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