Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 22,895 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 35.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,077 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,895 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.20% of United Therapeutics worth $31,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 296 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $131,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $3,710,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $956,195.85. This trade represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,261,606.58. This represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 87,500 shares of company stock worth $30,640,680. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR traded up $2.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $281.16. 670,796 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 453,395. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $323.22 and a 200 day moving average of $351.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12-month low of $230.39 and a 12-month high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $734.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.