United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $300.76, but opened at $317.10. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $298.77, with a volume of 87,993 shares traded.

The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $314.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.00.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $353.64, for a total value of $3,536,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $911,330.28. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $11,261,606.58. This represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 85,500 shares of company stock worth $27,782,280 over the last 90 days. 11.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $393,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 33.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 97.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $89,532,000 after acquiring an additional 123,929 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 35.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 192,546 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $68,999,000 after acquiring an additional 50,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 752 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a market cap of $13.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. The stock's 50 day moving average is $301.96 and its 200-day moving average is $344.33.

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.