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

Key Points

• United Therapeutics received a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 13 analysts, with 11 buys and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $646, above the stock’s reported $513.12 price.
• The company’s latest quarter beat earnings expectations, reporting $7.27 in adjusted EPS versus a $6.86 consensus estimate, although revenue of $783.3 million fell short of expectations and declined 1.9% year over year.
• Insiders sold substantial shares recently, including sales by the CEO and an executive vice president; insiders sold 442,575 shares worth about $239.3 million in the last quarter. Institutional investors continue to hold a dominant 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $646.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Therapeutics from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 6th.

Insider Activity

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.14, for a total value of $4,342,062.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $23,631,280.08. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $526.96, for a total transaction of $5,006,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $170,968,483.28. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 442,575 shares of company stock valued at $239,326,330 in the last quarter. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arjuna Capital increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% during the first quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 474 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% during the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.1% in the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.5%

United Therapeutics stock opened at $513.12 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $533.08 and a 200 day moving average of $537.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $302.19 and a 12-month high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The company had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $804.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 26.33 EPS for the current year.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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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