Decatur Capital Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 9,208 United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Decatur Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 9,208 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $3,249,000. United Therapeutics accounts for about 1.5% of Decatur Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in United Therapeutics by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 296 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $284.73 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $233.28 and a 1 year high of $417.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $316.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $348.66. The company has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.05, for a total value of $3,710,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at $956,195.85. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total transaction of $3,367,980.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,261,606.58. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 91,500 shares of company stock worth $30,971,540. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics 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.

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