Bank of America Issues Pessimistic Forecast for United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Price

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at Bank of America from $620.00 to $613.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 12.44% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $644.82.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded down $7.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $545.18. 112,945 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 491,450. United Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $272.12 and a 1-year high of $609.35. The company has a market cap of $23.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $557.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $529.32.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The company had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 26.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $552.56, for a total transaction of $4,586,248.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,960,240.32. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $553.17, for a total value of $5,255,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,513 shares in the company, valued at $22,410,576.21. The trade was a 19.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 603,218 shares of company stock worth $339,413,656. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 18.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 77.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,691,000 after purchasing an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in United Therapeutics by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.