United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Sold by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,084 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 12,872 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned about 0.09% of United Therapeutics worth $13,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in United Therapeutics by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,614 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas raised its position in United Therapeutics by 856.0% during the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 870 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in United Therapeutics by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,463 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $376,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in United Therapeutics by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,101 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.57, for a total value of $856,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,747.50. This represents a 63.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.78, for a total value of $3,121,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,437,712.18. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,500 shares of company stock valued at $17,054,780 over the last quarter. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UTHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America raised United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 target price (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $4.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $309.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 372,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 443,971. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $264.33 and a 1-year high of $417.82. The company's 50-day moving average is $299.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.72.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $726.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.