United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Receives $370.86 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $370.86.

UTHR has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer lifted 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of UTHR traded down $2.32 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $357.64. 268,427 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 444,101. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The company has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54. The company's fifty day moving average price is $370.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.93.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 the consensus estimate of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.38 EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,794 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total transaction of $2,771,078.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 5,344 shares in the company, valued at $1,900,005.76. This represents a 59.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total transaction of $2,828,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,485,785.60. This trade represents a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 139,961 shares of company stock valued at $52,612,290 over the last ninety days. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Tri Locum Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $15,959,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 97.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $89,532,000 after buying an additional 123,929 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in United Therapeutics by 384.3% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 61,755 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $22,130,000 after acquiring an additional 49,003 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 68,605 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $24,585,000 after acquiring an additional 4,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,174,692 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $692,748,000 after acquiring an additional 22,978 shares during the period. 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.