Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Decreases Stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,123 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 1,960 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of United Therapeutics worth $9,570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 663 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in United Therapeutics by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $697,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,108 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,214,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,761,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded down $14.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $292.46. 579,460 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 450,601. United Therapeutics Co. has a fifty-two week low of $230.39 and a fifty-two week high of $417.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64. The business's fifty day moving average is $333.78 and its 200 day moving average is $354.46.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $734.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at $2,703,424. This represents a 22.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.91, for a total value of $3,649,100.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $940,373.07. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,500 shares of company stock worth $26,134,500. Insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

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.