United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sees Strong Trading Volume - What's Next?

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 233,537 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 23% from the previous session's volume of 301,818 shares.The stock last traded at $353.33 and had previously closed at $354.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded United Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $382.08.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $15.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.57. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $362.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.07.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $353.64, for a total value of $3,536,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $911,330.28. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.37, for a total transaction of $2,882,649.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at $13,743,122.70. This trade represents a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 111,864 shares of company stock valued at $41,036,365. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 2,874 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,427 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,326,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 35.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 192,546 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,999,000 after purchasing an additional 50,291 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 97.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $89,532,000 after purchasing an additional 123,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 113.3% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 23,922 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $8,441,000 after purchasing an additional 12,705 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by 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.