United Therapeutics Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 37,003 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,290% compared to the average daily volume of 2,663 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised United Therapeutics from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $4.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $523.24. 92,247 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 489,333. United Therapeutics has a one year low of $302.19 and a one year high of $609.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $534.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $536.74.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $804.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 26.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $517.05, for a total transaction of $4,291,515.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,356,182.60. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $506.59, for a total transaction of $4,812,605.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $164,359,579.37. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 452,575 shares of company stock worth $245,684,184 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 76.7% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company’s primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.