United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Gets Price Target Bump from Morgan Stanley

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $515.00 to $566.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $321.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America cut their price target on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $624.92.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 2.2%

United Therapeutics stock traded up $11.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $553.51. The stock had a trading volume of 131,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 544,131. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $409.07 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $510.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $539.74.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 26.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.95, for a total transaction of $4,689,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,519,921.40. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $541.64, for a total transaction of $5,145,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $175,731,306.52. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 365,053 shares of company stock worth $188,058,343. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $450,140,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $159,522,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $154,304,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $112,209,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions. The company’s products include Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable form of treprostinil; Orenitram, an oral treprostinil product; and Adcirca, a tadalafil-based PAH treatment.

United Therapeutics markets its therapies primarily in the United States and internationally through commercial and regulatory activities in additional markets.