Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 13,130 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 163.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,162 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 13,130 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $4,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $91,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 155.9% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 458 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 504 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LP purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $213,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,680 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.00, for a total value of $376,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $896. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,680 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.00, for a total value of $376,320.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $896. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.91, for a total transaction of $856,476.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,928.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 129,790 shares of company stock worth $30,528,633. Insiders own 12.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $308.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Leerink Partnrs reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, SVB Leerink began coverage on United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $330.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $294.25.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of United Therapeutics stock traded down $3.87 during trading on Monday, reaching $234.06. 552,487 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 435,751. The company has a quick ratio of 4.28, a current ratio of 4.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock's fifty day moving average is $231.71 and its 200 day moving average is $228.64. The firm has a market cap of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.52. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $204.44 and a 1 year high of $261.54.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.28 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $575.01 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.