United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Sells $4,968,961.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.67, for a total transaction of $4,968,961.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $27,043,121.24. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $42.77 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $565.72. 602,002 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 557,515. The company has a fifty day moving average of $532.33 and a 200 day moving average of $532.45. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $444.04 and a 12 month high of $614.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). The business had revenue of $832.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that allows the company to buy back $2 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the biotechnology company to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $368.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $728.00 to $768.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $676.40.

More United Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets and maintained positive ratings: BTIG lifted its target to $768 with a Buy rating, RBC raised its target to $725 with an Outperform rating, and TD Cowen raised its target to $700 with a Buy rating. These revisions point to substantial potential upside in analysts’ view. BTIG analyst update RBC rating TD Cowen rating
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, beating analyst expectations of about $781 million. The earnings-call coverage also pointed to stronger growth prospects and Tyvaso momentum. Q3 financial results Earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics announced a buyout of Pfizer royalties tied to a lung-disease therapy, which may improve the company’s future economics from the treatment. Royalty buyout report
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 fell short of the approximately $6.01 consensus and declined from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss, despite the revenue beat, likely weighed on shares as investors focused on profitability. Q3 EPS report

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $514,016,000 after acquiring an additional 70,829 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $450,140,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in United Therapeutics by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,578 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $160,447,000 after acquiring an additional 51,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $159,522,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.