United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Sold by Polaris Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Polaris Capital Management trimmed its United Therapeutics stake by 15.1% in Q4, selling 18,400 shares and retaining 103,650 shares (about $50.5 million), making UTHR its 5th-largest holding.
• Brokerages are generally positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $601.50 after several firms raised targets (e.g., UBS to $705, BofA to $626, Wells Fargo to $575).
• Insiders have been heavy sellers, disposing of 443,205 shares worth roughly $236.9 million over the past three months, including large sales by the COO and CFO.

Polaris Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,650 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 18,400 shares during the period. United Therapeutics makes up 4.2% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned 0.24% of United Therapeutics worth $50,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. 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 in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on UTHR. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $486.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $471.00 to $519.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR opened at $567.16 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $536.51 and its 200-day moving average is $494.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.75. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $272.12 and a 12-month high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The business's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.95, for a total value of $10,596,375.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 443,205 shares of company stock worth $236,868,116. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Therapeutics Company 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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