United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• United Therapeutics has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with the average twelve-month price target set at $461.62.
• Recent insider transactions include COO Michael Benkowitz selling 22,500 shares for approximately $9.62 million, and EVP Paul A. Mahon selling 11,000 shares valued at about $4.75 million.
• Hedge funds have shown increased interest in United Therapeutics, with several institutions boosting their stakes significantly in the past quarter.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $461.6154.

Several research analysts have commented on UTHR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $328.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $427.41, for a total transaction of $9,616,725.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $431.50, for a total value of $4,746,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,871,001.50. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 322,935 shares of company stock worth $133,361,282 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 204.3% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,194 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,487 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $313,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 96.9% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 67,576 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $20,832,000 after purchasing an additional 33,254 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 77.3% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,246 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $7,783,000 after purchasing an additional 11,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 11.4% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,678 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,129,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of UTHR opened at $418.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $397.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $332.70. United Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $266.98 and a twelve month high of $459.48.

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

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.