United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells $4,579,040.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.38, for a total value of $4,579,040.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,188,830.94. The trade was a 16.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $556.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $566.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $515.84. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $272.12 and a 52-week high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The company had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $797.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.63 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.92 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics is still drawing support from bullish analyst coverage, including recent higher price targets and buy/overweight ratings, which suggests Wall Street remains constructive on the long-term outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to highlight clinical and business-development catalysts, including its PHINDER screening study, xenokidney/EXTEND trial progress, and a planned presentation at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, all of which help keep the growth story visible to investors. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate article referenced United Therapeutics in a broader mid-cap stock discussion, but it did not appear to contain company-specific new information likely to move the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares and CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares this week. Multiple insider sales can weigh on sentiment, especially when they come soon after a disappointing earnings report. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s most recent quarterly results missed estimates on both EPS and revenue, leaving investors with an ongoing fundamental overhang despite strong profitability metrics.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $707.00 to $701.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $619.42.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Arjuna Capital raised its position in United Therapeutics by 2.8% in the first quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 474 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.