Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $737.22 Million Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,089,392 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 66,000 shares during the period. United Therapeutics comprises about 1.1% of Renaissance Technologies LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 4.68% of United Therapeutics worth $737,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Milestone Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 2,874 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 39,289 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $13,863,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,427 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,326,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 192,546 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,999,000 after buying an additional 50,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 113.3% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 23,922 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $8,441,000 after acquiring an additional 12,705 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $281.16. The company had a trading volume of 670,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 453,395. The firm has a market cap of $12.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.63. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $230.39 and a 1-year high of $417.82. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $323.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $351.09.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.10 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.74 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.36 EPS. Analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.55, for a total value of $1,138,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at $497,962.50. This represents a 69.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $3,649,100.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 ninety days, insiders have sold 87,500 shares of company stock valued at $30,640,680. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.