Van ECK Associates Corp Purchases 29,297 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 282.7% in Q3, buying 29,297 shares to own 39,660 shares valued at $16.63 million (about 0.09% of the company).
• Several large institutions (Norges Bank, Invesco, AQR, Balyasny, Sofinnova) have built sizable positions, and analysts show a positive bias with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $548.09 while multiple firms raised targets (e.g., RBC $643, Cantor Fitzgerald $625).
• United Therapeutics reported quarterly EPS of $7.70 (above estimates) with revenue slightly below expectations, its market cap is about $23.45 billion, and insiders sold roughly 338,947 shares last quarter (insiders own 10.3%).

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 282.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,660 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,297 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.09% of United Therapeutics worth $16,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $136,453,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 90.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,703 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $254,219,000 after acquiring an additional 419,588 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 40.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,273,161 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $362,876,000 after acquiring an additional 364,713 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 863.9% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 152,727 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $43,886,000 after acquiring an additional 136,883 shares during the period. Finally, Sofinnova Investments Inc. purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,055,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $423.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $548.09.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $2.28 on Friday, reaching $535.10. 59,981 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 423,773. The company has a market capitalization of $23.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $548.12. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $485.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $458.53.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.30, for a total transaction of $11,166,750.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 338,947 shares of company stock valued at $165,516,573. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

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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