Aviva PLC Reduces Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Aviva PLC lessened its position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 80.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,658 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 6,623 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $6,902,000. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $392,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $1,899,000. World Investment Advisors grew its position in United Therapeutics by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,299 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in United Therapeutics by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 1,249 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UTHR. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 4.7 %

UTHR opened at $278.89 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $230.39 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $324.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $351.68. The firm has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.10 by $0.09. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The business had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.36 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.05, for a total transaction of $3,710,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $956,195.85. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Raymond Dwek sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.55, for a total value of $1,138,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $497,962.50. This trade represents a 69.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 87,500 shares of company stock valued at $30,640,680 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.