Hancock Whitney Corp Acquires 2,569 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,708 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,569 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $2,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 31.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $5.66 during trading on Monday, reaching $297.04. The stock had a trading volume of 410,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 447,897. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $346.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52 week low of $233.31 and a 52 week high of $417.82.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UTHR. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $357.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $314.00 target price (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.17.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.57, for a total value of $856,710.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at $499,747.50. The trade was a 63.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,781 shares in the company, valued at $11,261,606.58. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 74,500 shares of company stock valued at $24,472,050 over the last quarter. 11.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.