United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $378.36.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 2.0 %

United Therapeutics stock opened at $358.93 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $367.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.99. United Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $208.62 and a twelve month high of $417.82. The company has a market capitalization of $16.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.38 EPS. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.99, for a total transaction of $2,855,916.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,358,277.74. This trade represents a 54.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.62, for a total value of $3,646,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $939,625.74. The trade was a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 144,630 shares of company stock worth $54,371,916. Corporate insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $775,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.