United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock: Insider Martine Rothblatt Sells 9,500 Shares

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.99, for a total value of $5,642,905.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $192,715,897.57. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 0.4%

UTHR opened at $591.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $455.63 and a 12 month high of $614.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $542.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $536.37.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.01 by ($0.30). The company had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 38.61% and a return on equity of 19.18%. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.16 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 25.08 EPS for the current year.

United Therapeutics declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $2 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the biotechnology company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on UTHR. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Therapeutics from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday. BTIG Research upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $728.00 to $768.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $700.00 to $703.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $676.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $514,016,000 after buying an additional 70,829 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $450,140,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 349,666 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $189,480,000 after acquiring an additional 100,610 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $159,522,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Therapeutics

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.