Strs Ohio Increases Stake in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Strs Ohio boosted its stake in United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR) by 68.2% in the first quarter, buying 11,198 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 27,614 shares valued at about $16.4 million.
• The article also notes continued interest from large institutions, with hedge funds and other investors owning 94.08% of the company’s stock, even as some insiders have been selling shares recently.
• United Therapeutics has had mixed fundamentals: it recently missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but analysts still rate the stock Moderate Buy overall and recently raised price targets.

Strs Ohio raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 68.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,614 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,198 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.06% of United Therapeutics worth $16,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,189,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042,711 shares during the period. Darwin Global Management Ltd. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $317,617,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $293,418,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,269,803,000 after buying an additional 383,838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 75.1% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 796,101 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $387,801,000 after buying an additional 341,383 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $577.18, for a total transaction of $5,771,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,894,849.68. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 632,718 shares of company stock worth $356,533,651 in the last three months. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $555.91 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $558.34 and its 200 day moving average is $527.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $272.12 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The stock has a market cap of $23.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics agreed to acquire Thymmune Therapeutics for $140 million upfront, with up to $160 million in milestone payments. The deal adds Thymmune’s preclinical thymic cell therapy THY-100 and expands UTHR’s regenerative medicine platform, especially for organ transplantation tolerance and related immune disorders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view UTHR favorably overall, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating. That suggests the market still sees upside support despite recent volatility and insider sales. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Martine A. Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon both sold shares this week, which can create a modest overhang for investor sentiment, though these sales were disclosed and do not necessarily signal a change in the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: United Therapeutics recently reported quarterly results that missed analyst expectations on both earnings and revenue, so investors may still be weighing the company’s strong long-term growth strategy against softer near-term execution. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $619.42.

United Therapeutics Profile

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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