United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Rating Increased to Neutral at Bank of America

Bank of America upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Bank of America currently has $314.00 target price on the biotechnology company's stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.17.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.7 %

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $5.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $291.38. 311,498 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 447,735. The company has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63. United Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $346.55.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.10 by $0.09. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.36 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.78, for a total transaction of $3,121,580.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,437,712.18. This trade represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Raymond Dwek sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.57, for a total transaction of $856,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $499,747.50. This trade represents a 63.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 84,500 shares of company stock valued at $28,179,150 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $49,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.