Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 16,791 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 789% compared to the typical volume of 1,888 call options.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $66.64 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $589.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 754,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 453,684. United Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $266.98 and a 1 year high of $607.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $495.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $473.67.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The company had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.19 EPS. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about United Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TETON?1 met its primary endpoint, showing a 130.1 mL superiority vs. placebo in absolute FVC change (Hodges?Lehmann estimate; 95% CI 82.2 to 178.1), a clinically meaningful result in a 598?patient trial — this is the direct catalyst for the stock rally. Business Wire: TETON-1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Street response: TD Cowen raised its price target to $660 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence in revenue upside from IPF expansion. Benzinga: TD Cowen Price Target Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector read?through: Insmed shares rose after analysts viewed UTHR’s positive data as supportive for the broader interstitial lung disease/IPF space; a Morgan Stanley upgrade on Insmed underscores potential re?rating across peers. Investing.com: Insmed Read-Through
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares (disclosed March 26), which some investors may view as a modest negative signal or routine liquidity; monitor for additional insider moves. InsiderTrades: CEO Sale

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UTHR. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $557.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.95, for a total value of $4,398,585.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $23,938,901.40. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $535.81, for a total value of $5,090,195.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,707,270.53. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 333,820 shares of company stock valued at $165,495,478. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 125.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.