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

Key Points

• CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 United Therapeutics shares at an average price of $543.32, generating $5.16 million and reducing her ownership by 2.84%.
• United Therapeutics shares rose 2.0% to $553.88, while the company’s latest quarterly results beat earnings expectations with EPS of $7.27, despite revenue declining 1.9% year over year.
• The company’s outlook received support from FDA clearance for a pulmonary-hypertension study, a new xenograft production facility, and analyst price-target increases; analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $651.21 target.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $543.32, for a total value of $5,161,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $176,276,370.76. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 2.0%

UTHR stock traded up $10.73 on Tuesday, hitting $553.88. 437,754 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 556,374. The stock has a market cap of $23.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $409.07 and a 1-year high of $609.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $513.91 and a 200-day moving average of $539.71.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The firm's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.40 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key United Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics opened its third designated pathogen-free xenograft production facility in Houston, Texas. The added capacity supports the company’s organ-manufacturing and xenotransplantation strategy, potentially improving its ability to advance and scale its transplant programs. United Therapeutics opens third xenograft production facility in Houston
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA cleared United Therapeutics to proceed with the SUMMIT clinical study of treprostinil SMI in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PH-COPD). The regulatory clearance advances a potential expansion of the company’s pulmonary-hypertension franchise, although the therapy still must demonstrate efficacy and safety in the trial. FDA Clears United Therapeutics' SUMMIT Study of Treprostinil SMI in PH-COPD
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its United Therapeutics price target to $725 from $685 and maintained an “outperform” rating, reinforcing the view that the company’s pipeline and commercial portfolio have additional upside. Leerink Partners raises United Therapeutics price target

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UTHR. Weiss Ratings cut United Therapeutics from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $651.21.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $2,868,735,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $450,140,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $159,522,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $154,304,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $112,209,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company's portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

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