United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on UTHR. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $213.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Leerink Partnrs restated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.40.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.9 %

UTHR stock opened at $243.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a PE ratio of 12.26 and a beta of 0.52. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $261.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $225.55 and its 200 day moving average is $227.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 4.28.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.28 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.01 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 25.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 23.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.33, for a total value of $3,724,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,282.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other United Therapeutics news, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.00, for a total transaction of $376,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $896. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.33, for a total transaction of $3,724,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,282.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 76,680 shares of company stock worth $17,886,630 in the last three months. Company insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $48,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in United Therapeutics by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 196 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $66,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.