LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by research analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $319.00 to $344.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the biotechnology company's stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH's target price points to a potential downside of 8.23% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued 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 target price of $366.43.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $13.44 during trading on Thursday, reaching $374.84. 397,968 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 465,958. United Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $377.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $354.34 and a 200-day moving average of $315.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.35 and a quick ratio of 4.18.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.87% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.38 EPS. United Therapeutics's revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 24.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 269 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.41, for a total value of $93,722.29. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $45,293.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 269 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.41, for a total value of $93,722.29. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,293.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.73, for a total value of $1,169,028.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,214.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 107,012 shares of company stock valued at $36,767,286 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $662,000. Financial Enhancement Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $6,671,000. HMS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $477,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,380 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,870,000 after buying an additional 1,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 38.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 113,742 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $40,759,000 after acquiring an additional 31,442 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% 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.

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