United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Stock Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Nisa Investment Advisors cut its United Therapeutics stake by 33.4% in the third quarter, selling 5,898 shares and retaining 11,736 shares worth approximately $6.36 million. Institutional investors still own 94.08% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable: United Therapeutics has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $650.43, above the reported share price of $587.50; targets range as high as $725.
• The board authorized a $2 billion share-repurchase program that could cover up to 8.3% of outstanding shares, while CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for approximately $4.9 million.

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,736 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 5,898 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $6,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $514,016,000 after acquiring an additional 70,829 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $450,140,000. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 327,122 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $193,977,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 309,220 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $183,306,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Bank of America cut their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $717.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $650.43.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.06, for a total transaction of $4,902,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $167,432,054.58. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 401,528 shares of company stock worth $208,338,661. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of UTHR opened at $587.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $409.07 and a 1 year high of $609.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $519.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $540.06.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biotechnology company to buy up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Key United Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: $2 billion buyback authorization: United Therapeutics’ board approved an additional $2 billion share-repurchase program, potentially covering up to 8.3% of outstanding shares. The authorization could reduce the share count, support future earnings per share and signal that management considers the stock undervalued. United Therapeutics Authorizes Additional $2 Billion Share Buyback Program
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets remain above the current share price: Recent research includes bullish ratings and targets as high as $725. The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of approximately $650, although ratings are not unanimous. Analysts Conflicted on United Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO sold a relatively small portion of holdings: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for about $5.3 million, reducing her direct ownership by 2.84%. She still owns more than 324,000 shares, so the transaction may represent personal diversification rather than a change in business outlook. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Tyvaso faces near-term pressure: RBC warned that United Therapeutics’ settlement with Liquidia could weigh on the outlook for Tyvaso, raising concerns about competition and growth for the company’s key pulmonary arterial hypertension franchise. United Therapeutics Tyvaso Outlook Faces Near-Term Pressure

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company's portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.