United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $697.00 to $725.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 29.00% from the company’s previous close.

UTHR has been the subject of several other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $700.00 to $703.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $710.00 to $695.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $368.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $676.40.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $3.70 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $562.02. The stock had a trading volume of 454,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 670,109. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $444.04 and a 52 week high of $614.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $533.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $533.42.

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

United Therapeutics declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the biotechnology company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $526.96, for a total value of $5,006,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,968,483.28. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 411,028 shares of company stock worth $218,476,169 in the last quarter. Insiders own 8.60% 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 UTHR. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets and kept bullish ratings. BTIG maintained a Buy rating with a $768 target, citing Tyvaso momentum; Royal Bank of Canada raised its target to $725 and TD Cowen to $700. BTIG analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue increased 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, exceeding analyst expectations of about $781 million. The company also has a $2 billion share-repurchase authorization, which could support demand for its shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 missed the $6.01 consensus and was below $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings shortfall and year-over-year decline in EPS could offset the revenue beat.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt reported multiple share sales, while EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares. Insider sales can unsettle investors, although both executives retained substantial holdings after their transactions. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

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.