Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Purchases 4,134 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 54.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,134 additional shares and bringing its total to 11,733 shares worth about $5.7 million.
• United Therapeutics reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings of $5.82 per share missing analyst estimates of $7.00 and revenue of $781.5 million coming in slightly below expectations.
• Wall Street remains largely positive on the stock: 11 analysts rate UTHR a Buy, two a Hold, and the consensus price target is $619.42, even after some recent insider share sales.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 54.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,733 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $5,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 55.9% during the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 76.7% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in United Therapeutics by 125.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $579.54 on Thursday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $609.35. The firm's fifty day moving average is $554.96 and its 200-day moving average is $505.54. The firm has a market cap of $24.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.60.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.63 EPS. United Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 14,440 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $472.13, for a total value of $6,817,557.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 501,913 shares of company stock worth $278,169,037 over the last three months. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UTHR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $707.00 to $701.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $619.42.

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.

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