Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $18.26 Million Investment in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 51,744 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $18,257,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.12% of United Therapeutics as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $33,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 296 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $131,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $312.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,152,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,794. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $346.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $357.34. United Therapeutics Co. has a twelve month low of $221.53 and a twelve month high of $417.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64.

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United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.10 by $0.09. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $734.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.36 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $388.25.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.68, for a total value of $3,566,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $919,164.36. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 255 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.77, for a total transaction of $90,721.35. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,966,696.56. This trade represents a 4.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 90,255 shares of company stock valued at $32,614,521 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.90% 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.