Diversified Trust Co Trims Stock Position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Diversified Trust Co trimmed its holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 51.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,442 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 2,603 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 13,769.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after buying an additional 8,950 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $420,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $2,903,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $312,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its position in United Therapeutics by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 100,704 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $22,144,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $2.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $325.97. The stock had a trading volume of 19,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 490,259. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 4.18 and a current ratio of 4.35. The stock has a market cap of $14.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.55. United Therapeutics Co. has a one year low of $208.62 and a one year high of $343.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $316.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.90.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.48). The business had revenue of $714.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 40.87%. The business’s revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.24 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on UTHR. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of United Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $321.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.35, for a total value of $1,626,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $569,362.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Raymond Dwek sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.35, for a total value of $1,626,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $569,362.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.38, for a total transaction of $8,084,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at $833,350.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 127,334 shares of company stock valued at $39,743,820. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.