UBS Group Boosts United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Price Target to $475.00

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $415.00 to $475.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 29.57% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $378.36.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $366.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $370.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.87. United Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $417.82. The company has a market cap of $16.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.38 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.88, for a total value of $2,773,016.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 5,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,093,997.92. This represents a 56.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,885,134.22. The trade was a 83.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 142,422 shares of company stock worth $53,498,732. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ClariVest Asset Management LLC boosted 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 period. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $90,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.