First National Bank of Hutchinson Increases Stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

First National Bank of Hutchinson increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 46.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,481 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 785 shares during the period. First National Bank of Hutchinson’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. ClariVest Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% during the 2nd quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 63.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 301 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 4.8 %

United Therapeutics stock opened at $352.58 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $352.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.21. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $208.62 and a 1-year high of $377.03. The company has a market cap of $15.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.35 and a quick ratio of 4.18.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $714.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 40.87%. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.24 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.38, for a total transaction of $8,084,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $833,350.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 25,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.38, for a total transaction of $8,084,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $833,350.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.40, for a total transaction of $1,214,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $43,862. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 106,412 shares of company stock worth $36,470,922. 11.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of United Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $321.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.33.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.