Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells $5,562,155.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.49, for a total value of $5,562,155.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $189,958,132.07. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $598.72 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a one year low of $430.02 and a one year high of $609.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $527.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $530.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The company had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $804.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.41 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 22nd that allows the company to buy back $2 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the biotechnology company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $450,140,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $159,522,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $154,304,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $112,209,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on UTHR shares. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $717.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $368.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $728.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $667.07.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.