Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Stock Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in United Therapeutics by 5.5% in Q4 and now owns 4,176,016 shares (about 9.70%) valued at roughly $2.03 billion.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers — the CFO sold 10,000 shares and a director sold 2,910 shares, and insiders sold a total of 449,705 shares worth $242.7M last quarter; insiders now own 10.3% of the company.
• Analysts are broadly positive (10 Buy / 3 Hold) with an average target of $601.50, and the company recently reported Q4 EPS of $7.70 (beat) while revenue of $790.2M slightly missed expectations.

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,176,016 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 242,594 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.70% of United Therapeutics worth $2,034,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Global Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $317,617,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $157,390,000. Soleus Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 35.0% in the second quarter. Soleus Capital Management L.P. now owns 209,794 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $60,284,000 after purchasing an additional 54,400 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.6% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 199,656 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $83,698,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 49.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 155,404 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $65,147,000 after purchasing an additional 51,290 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $568.83, for a total value of $5,688,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $10,737,235.08. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Christopher Patusky sold 2,910 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.00, for a total transaction of $1,655,790.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $847,810. This trade represents a 66.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 449,705 shares of company stock worth $242,707,831 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $486.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $571.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $25.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $542.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $496.90. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $272.12 and a twelve month high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. The business had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UTHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report).

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.