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

Key Points

• United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with four holding ratings and nine buy ratings.
• The average 1-year target price set by analysts for United Therapeutics is $429.62, with UBS raising their target to $560.00 and Jefferies increasing it to $564.00.
• During the latest quarter, United Therapeutics reported earnings of $6.41 per share, missing analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $798.60 million.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $429.6154.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UTHR shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $400.52 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $307.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $306.32. The stock has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $436.95.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $802.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.64, for a total value of $9,396,900.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. This trade represents a 59.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 118,181 shares of company stock valued at $39,441,679. 10.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 271.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 46,082 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $14,027,000 after purchasing an additional 33,662 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.6% during the second quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,059 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,603,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $214,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $316,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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