NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Decreases Stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lowered its position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,335 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 263 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $1,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 663 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,108 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,214,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $405.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut their target price on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $314.00 price objective (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total value of $3,904,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 8,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,641,353.66. This trade represents a 59.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,261,606.58. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 68,500 shares of company stock worth $20,828,390. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $283.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $300.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $330.53. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $266.98 and a 1-year high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.82 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.17 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

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.