United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 44.8% in Q4 to 10,737 shares, valued at about $5.23 million.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently — the CFO sold 10,000 shares and the COO 22,500, with insiders offloading 414,295 shares (~$217.6M) in the last quarter, including a CEO sale of 9,500 shares (~$5.5M), which may pressure sentiment.
• Analysts have raised targets and maintain a constructive view: the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average price target near $601.50.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 44.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,737 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,321 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $5,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. WealthCollab LLC increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $471.91, for a total transaction of $10,617,975.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 414,295 shares of company stock valued at $217,625,176. Insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $588.38 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $526.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $489.98. The company has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.75. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow — Traders bought 15,930 UTHR call options on Friday (about a 665% jump versus average call volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can amplify near-term upside or volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases and constructive coverage — Multiple firms have raised price targets recently (examples cited include Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, BofA and RBC) and the consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $601.50, supporting positive investor sentiment. Analyst Coverage & MarketBeat Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Small CEO sale disclosed — CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 75 shares (March 13) for roughly $40k; the size is immaterial to overall ownership and is unlikely on its own to drive stock direction. InsiderTrades Alert
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional/hedge fund activity — Several funds adjusted positions (some added, some trimmed); UTHR remains heavily institutionally owned (~94%), which tends to moderate retail-driven swings. MarketBeat: Insider & Institutional Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling by CEO — Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares on April 15 (~$5.5M at ~$580.36), a significant reduction in her reported holding per filings; large insider sales can be perceived negatively by investors. SEC Filing: CEO Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Large EVP sale — EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares on April 16 for roughly $4.79M, a meaningful insider disposition that may pressure sentiment if more insider sales follow. SEC Filing: EVP Sale

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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