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

Key Points

• CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics at an average price of $491.57, generating approximately $4.67 million. Her remaining stake totals 324,443 shares, a 2.84% reduction.
• United Therapeutics shares fell 3.5% to $472.21, while the company’s latest quarterly results showed adjusted EPS of $7.27, beating estimates, though revenue declined 1.9% year over year to $783.3 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 94.08%, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $621, despite mixed rating changes including a new Goldman Sachs “Sell” rating.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.57, for a total value of $4,669,915.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $159,486,445.51. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 3.5%

United Therapeutics stock traded down $17.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $472.21. The company had a trading volume of 545,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 517,099. The company has a market capitalization of $20.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.56. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $409.07 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $513.20 and its 200-day moving average is $540.55.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,868,735,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $450,140,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $293,418,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $159,522,000. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $154,304,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UTHR shares. Weiss Ratings cut United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price objective on United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday. They set a "sell" rating and a $321.00 target price for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $621.00.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.

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.