United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Director Christopher Patusky Sells 1,210 Shares of Company Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,210 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $580.00, for a total value of $701,800.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,241,200. The trade was a 36.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 1.1%

UTHR stock traded up $6.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $588.61. The stock had a trading volume of 445,882 shares, compared to its average volume of 556,544. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1-year low of $449.58 and a 1-year high of $614.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $535.33 and a 200 day moving average of $533.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.01 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 38.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.16 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the biotechnology company to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $514,016,000 after purchasing an additional 70,829 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $450,140,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,578 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $160,447,000 after purchasing an additional 51,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $159,522,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UTHR has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $710.00 to $695.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Raymond James Financial set a $720.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $700.00 to $703.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $676.40.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that develops and commercializes treatments for serious diseases, with a primary focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Its therapies include treprostinil products delivered by injection, inhalation, or oral tablet, marketed under brands including Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Orenitram. The company also markets Unituxin, a treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma. Founded in 1996 by Martine Rothblatt, United Therapeutics is also pursuing technologies intended to address the shortage of transplantable organs.