United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt Sells 4,000 Shares

Key Points

• Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $411.08, which represents a 96.85% decrease in their ownership.
• United Therapeutics recently reported $6.41 earnings per share for the last quarter, falling short of the expected $6.80, with revenue of $798.60 million.
• Analysts have mixed target price adjustments for the stock, with some raising it to as high as $564.00, while it has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $438.85.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.08, for a total value of $1,644,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,440.40. This represents a 96.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $2.84 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $414.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 695,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 576,432. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $266.98 and a 12 month high of $436.95. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $329.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $310.69. The company has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.62.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.80 by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.13 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.36% and a return on equity of 18.73%. United Therapeutics's revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on UTHR. HC Wainwright raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $295.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $432.00 to $564.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $438.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,457,135 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,374,001,000 after purchasing an additional 15,312 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 40.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,273,161 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $362,876,000 after buying an additional 364,713 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 90.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,703 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $254,219,000 after buying an additional 419,588 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 38.1% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 715,834 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $205,695,000 after purchasing an additional 197,384 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 624,711 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $192,571,000 after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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