Van ECK Associates Corp Has $15.73 Million Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates reduced its United Therapeutics stake by 15.4% in the second quarter, selling 5,264 shares and retaining 29,023 shares valued at approximately $15.73 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 94.08% of UTHR.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 11 Buy ratings and two Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $646. Wells Fargo raised its target to $735, while Bank of America lowered its target to $613.
• United Therapeutics beat quarterly earnings expectations with EPS of $7.27 versus the $6.86 consensus, though revenue of $783.3 million declined 1.9% year over year and fell short of estimates. Company insiders have sold approximately $221.6 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,023 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 5,264 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.07% of United Therapeutics worth $15,726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,217,000. Leuthold Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 41.4% during the 4th quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 10,672 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,126 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 478.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP now owns 4,553 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 171.6% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,142 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, Havemeyer Place LP acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $2,189,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UTHR. Weiss Ratings lowered United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America cut their target price on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $646.00.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.14, for a total transaction of $4,342,062.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $23,631,280.08. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $517.51, for a total value of $4,916,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,902,496.93. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 414,075 shares of company stock worth $221,568,985. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.0%

UTHR opened at $510.38 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $303.08 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $529.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $539.42.

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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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