United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, a decline of 25.6% from the February 28th total of 2,460,000 shares. Approximately 4.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 444,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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United Therapeutics Stock Performance

UTHR stock traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $311.50. 180,016 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 449,212. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $336.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $355.09. United Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $227.75 and a 52 week high of $417.82.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 82.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,886 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 4,005 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 22.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 41.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,077,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $386,168,000 after buying an additional 314,004 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $426,000. 94.08% of the stock is 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.