Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 20,349 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 204,893 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 20,349 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.46% of United Therapeutics worth $72,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UTHR. MML Investors Services LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $245,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $393,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. Tri Ri Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $7,686,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 97.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $89,532,000 after purchasing an additional 123,929 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $314.00 price target (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.17.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR traded down $2.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $298.03. The stock had a trading volume of 227,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 447,369. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52 week low of $233.31 and a 52 week high of $417.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63. The company's fifty day moving average is $305.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $345.68.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,261,606.58. This represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 74,500 shares of company stock valued at $24,472,050 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.