Summit Global Investments Buys 12,095 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Summit Global Investments grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 80.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,112 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 12,095 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments owned 0.06% of United Therapeutics worth $5,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $91,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 10.0% in 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. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 670 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $2.99 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $258.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 717,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 455,885. The company has a market cap of $11.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.54. United Therapeutics Co. has a one year low of $204.44 and a one year high of $261.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $235.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 4.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The biotechnology company reported $6.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.63 by $0.54. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 42.31%. The firm had revenue of $677.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $620.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.86 EPS. United Therapeutics's revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.45 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on UTHR. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded United Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $213.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $306.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.31, for a total value of $1,291,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,880,130.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.59, for a total value of $3,548,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,756.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.31, for a total value of $1,291,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,880,130.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 138,190 shares of company stock worth $32,643,561. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.