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 $585.49, generating approximately $5.56 million. Her remaining stake totaled 324,443 shares, valued at nearly $190 million.
• United Therapeutics shares rose 1.2% to $593.54, while the company authorized a $2 billion stock repurchase program covering up to 8.3% of outstanding shares.
• The company exceeded quarterly EPS expectations but reported a 1.9% year-over-year revenue decline. Analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $667.07.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.49, for a total transaction of $5,562,155.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $189,958,132.07. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $7.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $593.54. 353,228 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 555,935. The company has a market cap of $25.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $524.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $529.41. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $430.02 and a one year high of $609.35.

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 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 analyst estimates of $804.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.41 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that allows the company to buy back $2 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the biotechnology company to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,631,000. Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 5,208 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,822,000 after acquiring an additional 1,776 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,689,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.5% during the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 953 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UTHR. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $368.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $717.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $708.00 to $697.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $725.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $667.07.

About United Therapeutics

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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