Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 3,534 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.6% in the first quarter, buying 3,534 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 101,692 shares worth about $60.3 million.
• Wall Street remains generally upbeat on the stock, with 10 analysts rating it a Buy and two a Hold; the consensus target price is about $644.82.
• United Therapeutics reported mixed first-quarter results, missing EPS and revenue estimates, even as the company maintained strong profitability with a 19.24% return on equity and 40.62% net margin.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,692 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,534 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of United Therapeutics worth $60,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 426.7% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $644.82.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $535.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $552.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $530.14. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $272.12 and a 52-week high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The company's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.63 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $572.61, for a total value of $5,726,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,808,586.36. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 564,743 shares of company stock worth $316,423,257 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

About United Therapeutics

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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