United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 142.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 118,091 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 69,411 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.26% of United Therapeutics worth $41,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 678.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 296 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR opened at $306.97 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $340.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.85. The stock has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $221.53 and a 12 month high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.10 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $734.74 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.76, for a total transaction of $3,607,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $929,678.52. This trade represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 72,500 shares of company stock worth $26,134,500. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UTHR. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $388.25.

United Therapeutics 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.