United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Stock: Candriam S.C.A. Raises Stake

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,109 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,425 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $29,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, PFS Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $598.67, for a total value of $4,968,961.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,043,121.24. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 1,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.76, for a total transaction of $1,171,609.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $193,939,047.68. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 401,528 shares of company stock worth $213,440,124 over the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More United Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets and kept bullish ratings. BTIG maintained a Buy rating with a $768 target, citing Tyvaso momentum; Royal Bank of Canada raised its target to $725 and TD Cowen to $700. BTIG analyst outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue increased 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, exceeding analyst expectations of about $781 million. The company also has a $2 billion share-repurchase authorization, which could support demand for its shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $5.71 missed the $6.01 consensus and was below $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings shortfall and year-over-year decline in EPS could offset the revenue beat.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt reported multiple share sales, while EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares. Insider sales can unsettle investors, although both executives retained substantial holdings after their transactions. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $368.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $728.00 to $768.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $697.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $676.40.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $562.02 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $533.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $533.42. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $444.04 and a twelve month high of $614.23. The stock has a market cap of $23.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 38.61%. The business had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $781.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the biotechnology company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Therapeutics Profile

United Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that develops and commercializes treatments for serious diseases, with a primary focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Its therapies include treprostinil products delivered by injection, inhalation, or oral tablet, marketed under brands including Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Orenitram. The company also markets Unituxin, a treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma.

Founded in 1996 by Martine Rothblatt, United Therapeutics is also pursuing technologies intended to address the shortage of transplantable organs.