Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in United Therapeutics by 27.7% in Q1, now owning 63,654 shares valued at approximately $19.6 million.
• New investments in United Therapeutics include a $101 million purchase by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management and a 29,415.2% increase by GAMMA Investing, reflecting significant interest from institutional investors.
• United Therapeutics has experienced mixed earnings results, reporting EPS below estimates while revenue showed an 11.7% year-over-year increase.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 27.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,654 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 24,423 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.14% of United Therapeutics worth $19,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $101,354,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth about $83,533,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% during the 1st 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. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 46.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 465,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $143,381,000 after buying an additional 146,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 488,854 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $172,487,000 after buying an additional 110,298 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

United Therapeutics stock opened at $313.13 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $295.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.79. The stock has a market cap of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.74 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.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.80 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $798.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.73% and a net margin of 40.36%. The company's revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 research note on Thursday, July 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $382.00.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.99, for a total value of $187,043.55. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,416,021.17. The trade was a 11.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total transaction of $879,225.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,613,606.40. The trade was a 13.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,681 shares of company stock worth $24,618,359. 10.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About United Therapeutics

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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