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

Key Points

• CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 United Therapeutics shares at an average price of $499.03, generating approximately $4.74 million. The sale reduced her stake by 2.84%, leaving her with 324,443 shares.
• United Therapeutics shares rose 1.8% to $506.82, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $7.27, exceeding estimates of $6.86. Revenue was $783.3 million, below expectations and down 1.9% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 11 Buy ratings and two Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $646—about 27% above the reported share price.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $499.03, for a total transaction of $4,740,785.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $161,906,790.29. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of United Therapeutics stock traded up $8.85 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $506.82. 453,080 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 493,903. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $395.00 and a twelve month high of $609.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $523.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $540.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.56.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 77.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,691,000 after buying an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $646.00.

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.

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