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

Key Points

• Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, sold 9,500 shares on April 22 at an average price of $576.56 for a total of $5.48 million, cutting her stake by 19.00% to 40,513 shares (approx. $23.36 million).
• United Therapeutics beat on EPS with $7.70 for the quarter versus a $6.78 estimate and delivered revenue of $790.2 million (up 7.4% year-over-year) though slightly below the $814.8 million consensus.
• The stock traded around $572.85 (52-week range $272.12–$607.89) with a market cap of $25.11 billion and a P/E of 20.53, and analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $601.50 (10 Buys, 3 Holds).

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $576.56, for a total value of $5,477,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,358,175.28. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $572.85. The company had a trading volume of 267,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,686. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $272.12 and a fifty-two week high of $607.89. The company has a market capitalization of $25.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's 50 day moving average is $532.71 and its 200 day moving average is $492.68.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The firm had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.19 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $471.00 to $519.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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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