United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• 52‑week high: Shares hit a new 52‑week high of $609.35 and were last trading near $592, giving the stock a roughly 2% intraday uptick on the news.
• Q1 miss: United Therapeutics reported Q1 EPS of $5.82 (vs. ~ $7.00 consensus) and revenue of $781.5M (vs. ~ $797M), with revenue down about 1.6% year‑over‑year — a key near‑term negative catalyst.
• Analyst upgrades and ownership mix: Multiple firms have raised price targets and the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (avg. target ≈ $601.50) while institutional ownership is very high (~94%), but there have also been substantial insider sales recently.

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $609.35 and last traded at $592.1440, with a volume of 73001 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $572.20.

Key United Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and maintain a mostly constructive view — multiple firms (UBS, BofA, Cantor Fitzgerald, Oppenheimer and others) have lifted price targets in recent months, leaving a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average target near $600, supporting upside expectations. MarketBeat UTHR coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlighted continuing clinical progress — the Q1 release references positive results from its ADVANCE O program, which could underpin longer‑term revenue and pipeline upside if follow‑on regulatory or commercial steps progress. Business Wire: Q1 results
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional stakes rising and high institutional ownership (~94%) — recent SEC/13F activity shows major funds increasing positions, which can provide stability and a potential demand floor for the shares. MarketBeat UTHR coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Company posted Q1 slides and conference‑call materials — useful for investors wanting detail on revenue drivers, margin trends and pipeline timing; review the slide deck and call transcript for management’s cadence on growth initiatives. Slide deck
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS and revenue missed expectations — United Therapeutics reported $5.82 EPS vs. consensus near $6.7–7.0 and revenue of $781.5M vs. estimates around $797M; revenue declined ~2% year‑over‑year, which is the primary near‑term negative catalyst for the stock. Zacks: Q1 miss
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by top executives — CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares and the CFO sold 10,000 shares in early May; while insider sales can be for many reasons, they can create short‑term perception pressure. InsiderTrades: CEO sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $700.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three 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 price target of $601.50.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 2.0%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $545.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $499.25. The company has a market cap of $24.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.60.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The firm had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.63 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.65, for a total transaction of $10,679,625.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $9,956,712.48. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 475,655 shares of company stock worth $259,911,459 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,096,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 39.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 146,524 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $83,558,000 after acquiring an additional 41,739 shares during the period. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at $43,009,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 915 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.