United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com cut shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on UTHR. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, February 5th. They set an outperform rating and a $330.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $309.44.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.3 %

United Therapeutics stock traded down $3.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $272.88. The stock had a trading volume of 408,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 537,357. The company has a current ratio of 3.77, a quick ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $247.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.99. The stock has a market cap of $12.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.54. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $279.98.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The biotechnology company reported $6.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.63 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $677.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $620.31 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.05% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.86 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 24.2 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martine A. Rothblatt sold 1,468 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.85, for a total value of $404,947.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,860.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other United Therapeutics news, Director Martine A. Rothblatt sold 1,468 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.85, for a total transaction of $404,947.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,860.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.45, for a total value of $1,418,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,680,079.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 153,528 shares of company stock worth $37,060,321. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 48.8% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 2,345 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in United Therapeutics by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,069 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 44.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 32,743 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $7,396,000 after acquiring an additional 10,140 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 697.0% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 51,250 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,576,000 after acquiring an additional 44,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 14.9% during the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 29,158 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $6,586,000 after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.