United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR Shares Purchased by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 338.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,591 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,317 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $2,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 396.3% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,288 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,798,000 after buying an additional 3,424 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 194.7% in the third quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 4,503 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,888,000 after buying an additional 2,975 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $444,000. Tobam increased its position in United Therapeutics by 183.9% in the third quarter. Tobam now owns 7,646 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,205,000 after buying an additional 4,953 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $1,059,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,956,712.48. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 14,440 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $472.13, for a total value of $6,817,557.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 569,913 shares of company stock valued at $317,603,631 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $619.42.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $568.43 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $563.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $511.57. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $272.12 and a fifty-two week high of $609.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.60.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 27.07 earnings per share for the current year.

United Therapeutics Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company’s primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.