Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 4,000 shares of stock on September 26th for a total value of $1,712,880, resulting in a 96.85% decrease in their total stock ownership.
• The stock currently has a market cap of $19.52 billion, with analysts giving it a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.57.
• In the last quarter, United Therapeutics reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $6.41, missing estimates of $6.80, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 11.7%.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $428.22, for a total value of $1,712,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,668.60. The trade was a 96.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.7%

UTHR opened at $432.66 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $442.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $314.85.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by ($0.39). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.73% and a net margin of 40.36%.The business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $802.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UTHR. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $569.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $449.57.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,643 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,991,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,422,000 after acquiring an additional 221,202 shares in the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth approximately $2,672,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 84.7% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,297 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,325,000 after buying an additional 1,970 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

About United Therapeutics

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.

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