Aviva PLC Sells 6,623 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Aviva PLC lessened its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 80.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,658 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 6,623 shares during the period. Aviva PLC's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $131,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $3.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $288.63. The stock had a trading volume of 71,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,514. The company's 50 day moving average price is $320.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $350.12. United Therapeutics Co. has a twelve month low of $230.39 and a twelve month high of $417.82. The firm has a market cap of $12.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $734.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UTHR has been the topic of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $388.25.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.91, for a total transaction of $3,649,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,373.07. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total transaction of $797,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 80,500 shares of company stock worth $27,849,960 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 11.90% 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.