James Edgemond Sells 10,000 Shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

Key Points

• James Edgemond sold 10,000 UTHR shares on March 23 at an average price of $527.48 for about $5.275M, cutting his holding by 34.63% to 18,876 shares valued near $9.96M.
• United Therapeutics posted stronger-than-expected earnings and has upbeat analyst coverage: quarterly EPS was $7.70 (vs. $6.78 est.) with $790.2M revenue, the stock trades around $532 (12‑month range $266.98–$548.12), and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $549.91 and multiple raised price targets.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 2.0%

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $531.82 on Wednesday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $266.98 and a 12-month high of $548.12. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $492.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $470.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. United Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $549.91.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,126 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NDVR Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 616 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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