United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Bought by Panagora Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management Inc. significantly increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,710.2%, owning 19,315 shares worth approximately $5.95 million after buying an additional 18,248 shares in the first quarter.
• Brokerage firms have mixed ratings on United Therapeutics, with Morgan Stanley and Bank of America lowering their price targets, while HC Wainwright and UBS Group maintained a "buy" rating with price targets as high as $415.00.
• The company reported earnings of $6.41 per share for its last quarter, which fell short of analyst expectations, though revenue increased by 11.7% year-over-year, totaling $798.60 million.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 1,710.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,315 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,248 shares during the quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $5,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 15,560 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,490,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,114 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $12,742,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 179,077 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $63,186,000 after purchasing an additional 11,246 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $1,166,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,715 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,075,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UTHR. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 price target on United Therapeutics and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America decreased their price target on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. The trade was a 59.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,883 shares in the company, valued at $1,416,021.17. The trade was a 11.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 81,681 shares of company stock valued at $24,537,839 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.8%

UTHR opened at $304.76 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $299.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $304.77. The firm has a market cap of $13.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.82.

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

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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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