United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt Sells 9,500 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, sold 9,500 shares on April 8 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan at an average price of $580.45, generating about $5.51 million and leaving her with 40,513 shares (~$23.52M), a 19% reduction in ownership.
• UTHR shares traded around $574.77 mid-day with volume below average; the stock's 12‑month range is $269.92–$607.89 and the company has a market cap of about $25.2 billion (P/E 20.6).
• United Therapeutics reported beat in EPS at $7.70 versus $6.78 and revenue of $790.2M (up 7.4% YoY but slightly below expectations), while analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $586.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $580.45, for a total value of $5,514,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,515,770.85. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock traded down $6.92 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $574.77. The stock had a trading volume of 415,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 499,385. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $269.92 and a 12-month high of $607.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's 50-day moving average is $512.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $482.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The business had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $814.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.19 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 55.9% during the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $486.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $586.00.

About United Therapeutics

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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