United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Sells $3,619,500.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total value of $3,619,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $932,745.15. This trade represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Michael Benkowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, November 25th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.75, for a total value of $3,727,500.00.
• On Monday, November 11th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.32, for a total transaction of $6,109,800.00.
• On Thursday, November 7th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.44, for a total transaction of $6,021,600.00.
• On Friday, November 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.46, for a total transaction of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of UTHR stock traded up $3.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $364.10. 207,650 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 446,001. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $417.82. The company has a market capitalization of $16.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.99, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50-day moving average is $370.84 and its 200 day moving average is $347.37.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.38 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. ClariVest Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $370.86.

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.