Sterling Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Sterling Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 43.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,429 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 1,085 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $847,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $406,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. NDVR Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 616 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 686 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 896 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $619.42.

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 dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.80, for a total value of $5,185,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,111,995.40. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $541.55, for a total transaction of $4,494,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,462,896.60. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 633,218 shares of company stock valued at $356,990,329. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $541.83 on Wednesday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $272.12 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $559.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $526.79. The company has a market capitalization of $23.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.63 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

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.