United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Paul Mahon Sells 8,300 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.67, for a total value of $4,968,961.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $27,043,121.24. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $565.72 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a twelve month low of $444.04 and a twelve month high of $614.23. The firm has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $533.31 and a 200-day moving average of $532.95.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.16 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Therapeutics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the biotechnology company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UTHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $725.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $850.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, October 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $697.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $368.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $676.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $514,016,000 after acquiring an additional 70,829 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $450,140,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,578 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $160,447,000 after purchasing an additional 51,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $159,522,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets and maintained bullish ratings: BTIG lifted its target to $768, RBC to $725, and TD Cowen to $700. BTIG cited Tyvaso momentum in its positive outlook. Analyst outlook and Tyvaso momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, beating estimates of about $781 million. The company also announced a buydown of a royalty tied to ralinepag, potentially improving the economics of the therapy. Third-quarter results Ralinepag royalty announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $5.71 per share, below the roughly $6.01 analyst consensus and down from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss and year-over-year decline in EPS may temper the positive revenue growth news. Quarterly earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon reported stock sales. Insider sales can concern investors, although both executives retained substantial holdings after the transactions. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.