Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 208,151 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD sold 208,151 shares of United Therapeutics, reducing their stake by 52.3%, now owning approximately 0.42% of the company valued at $58.5 million.
• United Therapeutics reported a net income growth of 11.7% year-over-year, with $6.41 EPS, missing analyst estimates by $0.39.
• Several analysts have adjusted their price targets for United Therapeutics, with the consensus rating now at "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.00.

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 52.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,731 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 208,151 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 0.42% of United Therapeutics worth $58,489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 103.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 193 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Curat Global LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on UTHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $382.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

UTHR traded down $2.48 on Friday, hitting $304.76. 418,774 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 795,594. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total value of $879,225.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,613,606.40. This trade represents a 13.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.75, for a total value of $3,396,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,356,133.75. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 81,681 shares of company stock worth $24,537,839. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics 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.