Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells $5,664,090.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $596.22, for a total value of $5,664,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $193,439,405.46. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $5.19 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $601.32. 595,234 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 555,370. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $430.02 and a 12-month high of $609.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $528.76 and a 200-day moving average of $531.14.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $6.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current year.

United Therapeutics declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the biotechnology company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $450,140,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $159,522,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $154,304,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $112,209,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on United Therapeutics from $708.00 to $697.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $717.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings cut United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $667.07.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.