United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Analysts at Royal Bank of Canada have initiated coverage of United Therapeutics, assigning an "outperform" rating and a price target of $569.00, suggesting a potential upside of 33.75% from its last close.
• Several research firms have recently adjusted their price targets for United Therapeutics, with Oppenheimer setting a new target at $575.00, demonstrating a bullish outlook on the stock's performance.
• Despite reporting quarterly earnings that missed estimates, United Therapeutics showed an 11.7% increase in revenue year-over-year, amounting to $798.60 million for the period.

Stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm set an "outperform" rating and a $569.00 price target on the biotechnology company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target would indicate a potential upside of 33.75% from the stock's previous close.

UTHR has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $510.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $448.14.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $425.42 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $340.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $313.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.61, a PEG ratio of 6.69 and a beta of 0.62. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $442.01.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $798.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $802.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.85 EPS. United Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $406.17, for a total value of $4,467,870.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,939,338.77. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Judy D. Olian sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.43, for a total value of $747,774.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,095,844.35. The trade was a 26.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 192,935 shares of company stock valued at $73,905,462 over the last quarter. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. WealthCollab LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 55.9% during the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.