Farallon Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 30.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 33,000 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.32% of United Therapeutics worth $45,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ClariVest Asset Management LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the 2nd quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 63.6% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 301 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR opened at $355.59 on Tuesday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $366.08. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $339.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $292.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 4.18 and a current ratio of 4.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 earnings per share (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 net margin of 40.87% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.24 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total value of $2,821,050.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $947,597.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total value of $2,821,050.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,615 shares in the company, valued at $947,597.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.48, for a total transaction of $1,124,928.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $40,622.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 107,056 shares of company stock worth $35,319,164 over the last three months. 12.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UTHR. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America lowered their target price on United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $270.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.17.

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.