United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Stock Holdings Lowered by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its United Therapeutics stake by 16.9% in the third quarter, selling 14,251 shares and retaining 70,287 shares valued at approximately $38.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.08% of UTHR.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 11 Buy ratings, two Holds and one Sell; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a $642.69 price target, above the stock’s recent $533.12 level.
• United Therapeutics exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $7.27 in EPS versus $6.86 forecast, although revenue declined 1.9% year over year to $783.3 million. Separately, CEO Martine Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon sold shares worth about $5.1 million and $4.5 million, respectively.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 16.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,287 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 14,251 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.16% of United Therapeutics worth $38,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $514,016,000 after buying an additional 70,829 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $450,140,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.7% during the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 327,122 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $193,977,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 309,220 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $183,306,000 after buying an additional 2,383 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on UTHR. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and set a $368.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $642.69.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.5%

United Therapeutics stock opened at $533.12 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $513.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $540.40. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $409.07 and a 12 month high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $804.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.40 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics settled six patent and antitrust disputes with Liquidia, reducing legal uncertainty around Liquidia’s YUTREPIA inhaled treprostinil treatment. The agreement limits YUTREPIA’s label, including excluding pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease, which could help protect UTHR’s competitive position. United Therapeutics Settles Litigation And Resets Pulmonary Hypertension Competition
• Positive Sentiment: The settlement is expected to provide United Therapeutics with approximately $380.7 million in payments, while giving investors greater visibility into the competitive landscape for treprostinil therapies. United Therapeutics Stock May Be Undervalued Following the Litigation Settlement
• Positive Sentiment: Traders purchased 12,089 UTHR call options, roughly 220% above average daily volume. The activity signals increased bullish speculation, although options flow does not guarantee sustained buying in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains generally favorable. Jefferies reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $728 target, and the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with targets above recent trading levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for approximately $5.13 million, reducing her holdings by 2.84%. She still retains a substantial position, so the sale may reflect personal financial planning rather than a change in the company’s outlook. United Therapeutics CEO Stock Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares for approximately $4.52 million, cutting his direct stake by 15.52%. The second executive sale disclosed within two days may weigh on sentiment, even though insider transactions alone do not establish a deterioration in fundamentals. United Therapeutics EVP Stock Sale SEC Filing

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.99, for a total value of $5,129,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $175,195,975.57. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.30, for a total transaction of $4,517,690.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,587,119.60. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 392,028 shares of company stock valued at $202,884,996 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions. The company's products include Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable form of treprostinil; Orenitram, an oral treprostinil product; and Adcirca, a tadalafil-based PAH treatment.

United Therapeutics markets its therapies primarily in the United States and internationally through commercial and regulatory activities in additional markets.

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