United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• United Therapeutics Corporation has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from 14 brokerages, with an average 1-year target price of $449.57.
• Wells Fargo and Jefferies have recently increased their price targets for the stock, with Jefferies setting a target at $564.00.
• In the last three months, company insiders have sold around 196,935 shares valued at approximately $75.6 million, representing a notable decrease in ownership.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $449.5714.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $569.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $560.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $419.21 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $347.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.38. The stock has a market cap of $18.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $442.01.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by ($0.39). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.73% and a net margin of 40.36%.The company had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $802.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.85 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.75, for a total value of $3,396,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $11,356,133.75. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.64, for a total transaction of $9,396,900.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 196,935 shares of company stock valued at $75,618,342 in the last three months. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. F m Investments LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 1.3% during the second quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 2,580 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,235 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its position in United Therapeutics by 0.3% during the first quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,651 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,900,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 55.9% during the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $676,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

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.

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