Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group cut its stake in United Therapeutics by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 98,158 shares worth about $47.8 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains largely positive: analysts have issued multiple price-target increases, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target of $619.42.
• United Therapeutics recently missed Q1 estimates, posting EPS of $5.82 versus $7.00 expected and revenue of $781.5 million versus $797.4 million expected, even as investors focus on pipeline catalysts like Tyvaso and ralinepag.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,158 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 7,609 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of United Therapeutics worth $47,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,690 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,285,000 after buying an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $244,000. Strs Ohio raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 16,416 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $7,999,000 after buying an additional 6,354 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 27,382 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $13,342,000 after buying an additional 6,037 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $707.00 to $701.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $619.42.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $564.94 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.60. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $272.12 and a 1-year high of $609.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $550.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $501.37.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $781.50 million during 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 firm's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.63 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are focusing on United Therapeutics’ pipeline and growth catalysts, especially encouraging Tyvaso data in IPF and optimism around ralinepag’s blockbuster potential, which could support future revenue growth. UTHR Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Shares Jump on Strong Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada kept an outperform rating and only slightly lowered its price target to $701 from $707, signaling continued confidence in upside from current levels. RBC lowers price target on UTHR
• Neutral Sentiment: United Therapeutics held its Q1 2026 earnings call, which investors are likely parsing for commentary on Tyvaso, ralinepag, and the company’s growth outlook. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed estimates, with EPS of $5.82 versus expectations of $7.00 and revenue of $781.5 million versus $797.4 million expected; revenue also declined 1.6% year over year. Q1 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may be weighing on sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares and EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares, both sizable reductions in their holdings. Rothblatt SEC filing Mahon SEC filing

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $576.93, for a total value of $5,769,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $10,890,130.68. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.75, for a total transaction of $4,870,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $26,504,671. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 485,155 shares of company stock worth $266,370,949 over the last ninety days. 10.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.