Two Sigma Advisers LP Decreases Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lowered its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,800 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 1,301 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $4,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $162,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 64.8% in the 4th quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 1,986 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $701,000 after buying an additional 781 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 977 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $612,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR traded down $1.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $318.45. The company had a trading volume of 63,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,638. The company has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $299.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $335.89. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52 week low of $266.98 and a 52 week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $794.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.93, for a total value of $3,310,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,068,506.33. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Raymond Dwek sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.55, for a total transaction of $1,138,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $497,962.50. The trade was a 69.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,500 shares of company stock valued at $13,447,180 in the last quarter. 10.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on UTHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America raised shares of United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.00.

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.