Prudential PLC Acquires 4,094 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Key Points

• Prudential PLC has increased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation by 42.1%, acquiring an additional 4,094 shares, bringing its total holdings to 13,828 shares valued at approximately $4.26 million.
• Insider trading has seen significant activity, with executives like EVP Paul A. Mahon selling 11,000 shares for $3.3 million and CFO James Edgemond selling 12,000 shares for $3.9 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on United Therapeutics, with price targets ranging from $295.00 to $415.00, reflecting a general sentiment of "Moderate Buy" based on recent evaluations.

Prudential PLC increased its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 42.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,828 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 4,094 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $4,263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $101,354,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $83,533,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,422,000 after purchasing an additional 221,202 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 46.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 465,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $143,381,000 after purchasing an additional 146,664 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 488,854 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $172,487,000 after purchasing an additional 110,298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $3,300,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,034,300. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. The trade was a 59.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 81,681 shares of company stock valued at $24,618,359 in the last three months. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR opened at $309.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $417.82. The company's fifty day moving average price is $295.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $310.03.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.85 earnings per share. United Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several analyst reports. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.00.

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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