United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, TD Cowen Analyst Says

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on United Therapeutics from $575 to $660 and kept a buy rating—other brokers (UBS, Oppenheimer, HC Wainwright) also lifted targets, leaving a consensus of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $557.64.
• United Therapeutics beat EPS estimates ($7.70 vs. $6.78) with revenue up 7.4% year‑over‑year but slightly below projections; the stock trades around $594 with a market cap of about $26.0 billion and a P/E near 21.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently—CEO and CFO sold shares in late March and insiders sold 333,820 shares (≈$165.5M) over the past 90 days, though insiders still own about 10.3% of the company.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at TD Cowen from $575.00 to $660.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the biotechnology company's stock. TD Cowen's price target indicates a potential upside of 11.19% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on UTHR. UBS Group raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $557.64.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $593.60 on Monday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $495.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $473.67. United Therapeutics has a one year low of $266.98 and a one year high of $607.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The company had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.19 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $535.81, for a total value of $5,090,195.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,707,270.53. This trade represents a 19.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $535.90, for a total transaction of $5,359,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $10,115,648.40. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 333,820 shares of company stock valued at $165,495,478 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.1% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,013 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,153,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $220,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 256.4% during the 2nd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 8,989 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,583,000 after acquiring an additional 6,467 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

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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