United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $378.36.

Several research analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Oppenheimer increased 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, October 31st. Argus boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of UTHR opened at $370.85 on Friday. United Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $417.82. The company has a market cap of $16.56 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $365.60 and a 200 day moving average of $356.70.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 224 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.28, for a total transaction of $92,350.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,384,215.24. This represents a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,051 shares in the company, valued at $1,885,134.22. This represents a 83.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 149,048 shares of company stock worth $56,142,199 in the last three months. 11.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $82,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.