United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Acquired by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 3.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 59,152 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,864 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $35,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in United Therapeutics by 74.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,189,617,000 after buying an additional 1,042,711 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $293,418,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,269,803,000 after acquiring an additional 383,838 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 75.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $157,390,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $648.33.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

United Therapeutics stock opened at $516.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $542.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $533.07. The company has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $287.64 and a fifty-two week high of $609.35.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,921,276.08. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 492,833 shares of company stock valued at $273,056,767. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

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.