United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday.

UTHR has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $370.86.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 0.6 %

UTHR stock opened at $357.64 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $370.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $348.93. United Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $208.62 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The firm has a market cap of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.38 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.88, for a total transaction of $2,773,016.96. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 5,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,093,997.92. This trade represents a 56.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total transaction of $2,828,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,485,785.60. This represents a 17.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,961 shares of company stock worth $52,612,290. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $652,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the period. ClariVest Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% during the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.0% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $961,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

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.