United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Short Interest Up 2,016.4% in July

Key Points

• United Therapeutics saw a dramatic increase in short interest in July, rising by 2,016.4% to 1,600,000 shares, representing 3.6% of its stock being short sold.
• Recent analyst reviews have generally lowered target prices for the company's shares, with ratings mostly being "equal weight" or "neutral," while the consensus target price is around $379.69.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings reported $6.41 EPS, falling short of expectations of $6.80, despite an 11.7% year-over-year revenue increase.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,600,000 shares, anincreaseof2,016.4% from the June 30th total of 75,600 shares. Currently,3.6% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 526,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 526,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently,3.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $295.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $405.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $379.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total transaction of $3,904,440.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at $2,641,353.66. This represents a 59.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total transaction of $879,225.60. Following the sale, the director owned 19,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,613,606.40. The trade was a 13.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 70,681 shares of company stock worth $21,318,359 in the last ninety days. 10.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 122.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,239 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,024,000 after purchasing an additional 7,847 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,021 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,419,000 after buying an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $415,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,930 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,387,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 329,379 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $116,218,000 after buying an additional 78,660 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 6.9%

Shares of UTHR stock traded up $18.95 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $293.65. 577,332 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 496,348. United Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $266.98 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $298.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.53.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm 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 earnings per share. United Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS 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.

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