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

Key Points

• CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 United Therapeutics shares for approximately $5.01 million at an average price of $526.96, reducing her direct stake by 2.84% to 324,443 shares.
• United Therapeutics shares fell to $521, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $7.27, beating estimates of $6.86. Revenue of $783.3 million missed expectations and declined 1.9% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $646 price target; institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the stock.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.96, for a total transaction of $5,006,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $170,968,483.28. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded down $8.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $521.00. The company had a trading volume of 436,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 491,227. The firm has a market cap of $22.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $302.19 and a one year high of $609.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $534.23 and a 200 day moving average of $537.17.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The company had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $804.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, WealthCollab LLC increased its holdings 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 period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on UTHR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $646.00.

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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