Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 83,408 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lowered its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 36.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 148,481 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 83,408 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.33% of United Therapeutics worth $53,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ClariVest Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the 2nd quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company's stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of UTHR stock traded up $8.34 on Tuesday, reaching $377.00. The stock had a trading volume of 259,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 458,379. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50-day moving average is $365.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.04.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $722.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.38 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total value of $2,828,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at $13,485,785.60. The trade was a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total value of $2,821,050.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,615 shares in the company, valued at $947,597.55. The trade was a 74.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 117,227 shares of company stock worth $43,671,320 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $370.86.

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.