Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Position in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Bank of Nova Scotia decreased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 53.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,730 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 3,114 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $1,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,269,803,000 after buying an additional 383,838 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 74.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,189,617,000 after acquiring an additional 1,042,711 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,281,699 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $624,508,000 after purchasing an additional 295,221 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 75.1% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 796,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $387,801,000 after acquiring an additional 341,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $293,418,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $578.58, for a total transaction of $5,785,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $10,921,276.08. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 502,833 shares of company stock valued at $279,835,157 over the last three months. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Promising ralinepag trial results: The Lancet published full results from United Therapeutics’ ADVANCE OUTCOMES study. Investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment ralinepag reduced the risk of clinical worsening by 55% versus placebo, improving the company’s potential pipeline outlook. Ralinepag is not yet approved by the FDA, so regulatory and commercialization risks remain. United Therapeutics Announces ADVANCE OUTCOMES Study of Ralinepag Published in The Lancet
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: Eleven analysts rate UTHR a Buy and two rate it a Hold, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. The average price target is $648.33, with JPMorgan recently raising its target to $687 and HC Wainwright increasing its target to $660. United Therapeutics Given Average Rating of Moderate Buy by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high: Hedge funds and other institutional investors own approximately 94.1% of UTHR’s shares. Several institutions increased their positions during the second quarter, signaling continued professional-investor interest, although this does not guarantee further gains. United Therapeutics Insider Trading Report
• Negative Sentiment: CEO stock sale may pressure sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for roughly $5.04 million, reducing her direct stake by 2.84%. She still owns a substantial position, so the transaction may reflect liquidity or diversification rather than a negative view of the business, but insider selling can weigh on investor confidence. Insider Selling United Therapeutics CEO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Recent operating results were below expectations: United Therapeutics previously reported quarterly earnings and revenue below consensus, with revenue declining 1.6% year over year. That performance remains a concern despite the company’s strong profitability and promising pipeline.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $524.70 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $22.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $545.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $532.24. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The firm had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $648.33.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.