Polaris Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Polaris Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 6.9%, owning 127,650 shares after selling 9,400 shares during the second quarter.
• United Therapeutics reported a net margin of 40.36% with quarterly revenue of $798.60 million, reflecting an 11.7% year-over-year increase, but missed analyst expectations.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for United Therapeutics, with price targets ranging from $414.00 to $580.00.

Polaris Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 6.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 127,650 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 9,400 shares during the quarter. United Therapeutics makes up about 2.4% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.28% of United Therapeutics worth $36,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 103.2% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 193 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 2.2%

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $453.07 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $455.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $356.31 and a 200-day moving average of $319.01. The firm has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.66.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by ($0.39). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.36% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.85 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, September 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $569.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $560.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.64, for a total transaction of $9,396,900.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.75, for a total value of $3,396,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $11,356,133.75. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 238,435 shares of company stock worth $93,353,482 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

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.

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