Swedbank AB Trims Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Swedbank AB trimmed its UTHR holding by 1.3% in Q4, selling 4,346 shares and leaving it with 324,772 shares (about 0.75%) valued at roughly $158.2 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, offloading 475,655 shares (~$259.9 million) over the past three months; CEO Martine A. Rothblatt alone sold 9,500 shares (~$5.48 million), reducing her stake by 19%.
• United Therapeutics missed the quarter with EPS $5.82 vs. $7.00 expected and revenue of $781.5M versus $797.4M, yet analysts have raised targets and the stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy with an average price target of $601.50.

Swedbank AB lowered its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 324,772 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 4,346 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned 0.75% of United Therapeutics worth $158,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 396.3% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,288 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,798,000 after buying an additional 3,424 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 194.7% during the third quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 4,503 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,888,000 after acquiring an additional 2,975 shares during the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $444,000. Tobam grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 183.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tobam now owns 7,646 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,205,000 after acquiring an additional 4,953 shares during the period. Finally, Sawgrass Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $11,460,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.97, for a total value of $5,481,215.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares in the company, valued at $23,374,785.61. This trade represents a 19.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher Patusky sold 2,910 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.00, for a total value of $1,655,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,490 shares in the company, valued at $847,810. This represents a 66.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 475,655 shares of company stock worth $259,911,459 over the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of UTHR opened at $572.20 on Wednesday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $272.12 and a fifty-two week high of $607.89. The company's fifty day moving average is $545.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $499.25. The firm has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.60.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 EPS 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 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. HC Wainwright upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $486.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $601.50.

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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