United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock: Insider Martine Rothblatt Sells 7,777 Shares

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 7,777 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.64, for a total value of $4,663,400.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 326,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,582,180.24. The trade was a 2.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 7.0%

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $42.77 on Thursday, reaching $565.72. The stock had a trading volume of 602,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,515. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $532.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $532.45. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $444.04 and a 1 year high of $614.23. The company has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The firm had revenue of $832.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the biotechnology company to buy up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,536 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 4.2% during the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,975 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,780,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 288.1% during the third quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 3,524 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,616 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 2.5% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 40,014 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $21,683,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares during the period. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 7.0% during the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

More United Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets and maintained positive ratings: BTIG lifted its target to $768 with a Buy rating, RBC raised its target to $725 with an Outperform rating, and TD Cowen raised its target to $700 with a Buy rating. These revisions point to substantial potential upside in analysts’ view. BTIG analyst update RBC rating TD Cowen rating
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, beating analyst expectations of about $781 million. The earnings-call coverage also pointed to stronger growth prospects and Tyvaso momentum. Q3 financial results Earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics announced a buyout of Pfizer royalties tied to a lung-disease therapy, which may improve the company’s future economics from the treatment. Royalty buyout report
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 fell short of the approximately $6.01 consensus and declined from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss, despite the revenue beat, likely weighed on shares as investors focused on profitability. Q3 EPS report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on UTHR. Raymond James Financial set a $720.00 price objective on United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $368.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $676.40.

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.