United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Earns Hold (C+) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• United Therapeutics received a "hold (C+)" rating from Weiss Ratings, with mixed reviews from other research firms where some increased price targets significantly.
• Despite a recent price drop of 1.7% to $448.93, the stock has a market cap of $20.25 billion and a strong average rating of "Moderate Buy" among analysts.
• Insider trading activity included significant sales by executives, with 10.30% of the company's stock currently held by insiders, indicating potential concerns about future stock performance.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating reissued by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on UTHR. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $569.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.57.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.7%

UTHR stock traded down $7.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $448.93. 540,933 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 856,786. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $459.48. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $365.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $321.87. The stock has a market cap of $20.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 0.66.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.80 by ($0.39). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.36% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.13 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.85 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.24, for a total transaction of $10,130,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.60, for a total transaction of $4,802,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,058,584.60. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 268,935 shares of company stock worth $107,086,082. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,289 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 456 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 210.9% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,085 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,109,000 after acquiring an additional 6,841 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 65,405 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $20,162,000 after purchasing an additional 10,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 487 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

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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