United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells 9,500 Shares of Company Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.99, for a total value of $5,642,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $192,715,897.57. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.4%

UTHR stock traded down $2.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $593.31. The company had a trading volume of 321,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,860. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $455.63 and a one year high of $614.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $538.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $535.20.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 38.61%. 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 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.90 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Share buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on UTHR. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $660.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $728.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. TD Cowen raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $368.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $676.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 657 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 497 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 349,666 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $189,480,000 after purchasing an additional 100,610 shares during the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $182,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $23,850,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

Investors following UTHR have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $660 price target, about 11% above the recent trading level. Its forecasts call for EPS of $27.46 in 2026 and $53.67 by 2030, pointing to substantial expected earnings growth. HC Wainwright coverage
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for about $5.64 million, and director Christopher Patusky sold 1,210 shares for about $702,000. Insider sales may weigh on sentiment, though neither transaction alone establishes a negative view of the company’s prospects. CEO sale filing Director sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: In its latest reported quarter, UTHR’s EPS of $5.71 fell short of the $6.01 analyst consensus, although revenue of $832.5 million exceeded expectations and rose 4.1% year over year. The earnings miss may temper the positive analyst outlook.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.