United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $478.16, but opened at $497.75. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $511.48, with a volume of 195,185 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $423.00 to $466.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $539.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $482.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $454.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The business had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.91, for a total value of $4,654,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 130 shares in the company, valued at $63,688.30. This represents a 98.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher Causey sold 1,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $520.00, for a total value of $520,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,178,800. This represents a 19.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 329,684 shares of company stock worth $160,260,377 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 55.9% during the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company’s primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.