United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Director Sells $9,781,722.98 in Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,051 shares in the company, valued at $1,885,134.22. This trade represents a 83.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.7 %

UTHR traded up $2.61 on Thursday, hitting $360.16. 335,081 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 446,780. United Therapeutics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $208.62 and a fifty-two week high of $417.82. The stock has a market cap of $16.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $370.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $344.26.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $370.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 201,695 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $72,277,000 after acquiring an additional 46,170 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $1,698,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 97.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $89,532,000 after purchasing an additional 123,929 shares during the last quarter. Tri Ri Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $7,686,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,039,000 after buying an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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