Martine Rothblatt Sells 9,500 Shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

Key Points

• CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 United Therapeutics shares at an average price of $494.79, generating approximately $4.7 million. She retained 324,443 shares after the transaction, a 2.84% reduction in direct ownership.
• United Therapeutics shares recently traded near $493, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company’s latest quarterly earnings of $7.27 per share exceeded estimates, although revenue declined 1.9% year over year and fell short of expectations.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $646. Institutional investors own approximately 94.08% of the company’s outstanding stock.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.79, for a total transaction of $4,700,505.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $160,531,151.97. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR traded down $1.53 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $493.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 809,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 514,935. The company's 50 day moving average is $515.48 and its 200 day moving average is $540.50. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $409.07 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The stock has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.56.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The business had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $804.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.41 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UTHR. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price objective on United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $646.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arjuna Capital increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 474 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 471 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for serious and life-threatening conditions, with a primary emphasis on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company's products are designed to improve pulmonary blood flow and reduce the effects of this progressive disease.

United Therapeutics' PAH portfolio includes Remodulin (treprostinil) injection, Orenitram (treprostinil) extended-release tablets, and Tyvaso (treprostinil), which is available as an inhalation solution and as the Tyvaso DPI dry-powder inhaler.

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