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

Key Points

• United Therapeutics has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 13 analysts, with 11 buy ratings and 2 holds. The average 12-month price target is about $619.42.
• Recent analyst updates were mostly positive, including Wells Fargo upgrading the stock to overweight and several firms raising price targets. UBS and HC Wainwright also lifted their targets, while Bank of America remained neutral.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including EVP Paul A. Mahon and CFO James Edgemond, and insiders sold 632,718 shares over the last three months. Meanwhile, institutional investors still own the vast majority of the company at 94.08%.

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $619.4167.

Several equities analysts recently commented on UTHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $552.56, for a total transaction of $4,586,248.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,960,240.32. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 8,750 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $538.15, for a total transaction of $4,708,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,158,119.40. This trade represents a 31.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 632,718 shares of company stock worth $356,533,651. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 93.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 182 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 243,545 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $144,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,056 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,163 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $514,016,000 after purchasing an additional 70,829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $555.91 on Friday. United Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $272.12 and a 1 year high of $609.35. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $558.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $527.64. The firm has a market cap of $23.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.58.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The business had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.63 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 26.63 EPS for the current year.

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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