United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $328.40, but opened at $289.00. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $277.26, with a volume of 693,853 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 price objective (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 25th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America upgraded United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $393.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $12.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $300.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $332.46.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.17 earnings per share. United Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total value of $3,904,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. This represents a 59.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,500 shares of company stock valued at $20,828,390. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 663 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,108 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,214,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.