United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt Sells 7,540 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 7,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $573.89, for a total value of $4,327,130.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 326,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $187,319,417.67. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock traded down $3.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $562.02. The company had a trading volume of 454,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,118. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $444.04 and a 12 month high of $614.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $533.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $532.95. The company has a market cap of $24.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 38.61%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.16 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 earnings per share for the current year.

United Therapeutics declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to buy back $2 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the biotechnology company to purchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on UTHR shares. Raymond James Financial set a $720.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $728.00 to $768.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $697.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $725.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $700.00 to $703.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $676.40.

Trending Headlines about United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their outlooks following the company’s results. BTIG maintained a Buy rating and set a $768 target, citing Tyvaso momentum; RBC raised its target to $725 and TD Cowen to $700, both with bullish ratings. BTIG analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 revenue increased 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, exceeding analysts’ expectations of about $781 million. The revenue beat suggests continued demand, though it was not enough to offset the EPS shortfall. Q3 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ questions on the Q3 call may offer investors additional insight into UTHR’s growth prospects and business priorities; the available article summary does not specify the topics discussed. Analyst questions from earnings call
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 missed the $6.01 consensus and fell from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss and year-over-year decline temper the positive revenue growth. Q3 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon disclosed share sales. Such transactions can add to near-term caution, although both executives retained sizable holdings. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.