United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• United Therapeutics stock gapped up after TD Cowen raised its price target from $575 to $660, opening at $605.22 versus the prior close of $522.83; analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $557.64 (9 Buys, 3 Holds).
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently: the CFO sold 10,000 shares and the COO sold 22,500, with insiders disposing of 333,820 shares worth about $165.5 million over the last 90 days, though insiders still own 10.30% of the company.
• United Therapeutics beat EPS estimates ($7.70 vs. $6.78) but missed revenue expectations ($790.2M vs. $814.8M); the company has a $26.39 billion market cap, a P/E of 21.54 and a net margin of 41.94%.

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $575.00 to $660.00. The stock had previously closed at $522.83, but opened at $605.22. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $595.7250, with a volume of 438,978 shares changing hands.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on UTHR. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted 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. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $557.64.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. This trade represents a 34.63% 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, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $471.91, for a total value of $10,617,975.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 333,820 shares of company stock valued at $165,495,478. Insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,323 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,248 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 3,619 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,767,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Tobam raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Tobam now owns 9,857 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Finally, Wick Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $297,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company's fifty day moving average price is $495.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $473.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The firm had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.19 earnings per share. United Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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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