Insider Selling: United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Sells $5,176,930.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.94, for a total value of $5,176,930.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $176,801,968.42. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR opened at $541.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $513.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $540.45. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $409.07 and a 1 year high of $609.35. The firm has a market cap of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%. The business had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $804.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.40 EPS for the current year.

More United Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: United Therapeutics settled all six patent and antitrust disputes with Liquidia, reducing litigation uncertainty surrounding Liquidia’s YUTREPIA inhaled treprostinil treatment. The agreement also limits YUTREPIA’s label, particularly by excluding the pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease indication, which may protect UTHR’s competitive position. United Therapeutics Settles Litigation And Resets Pulmonary Hypertension Competition
• Positive Sentiment: The settlement calls for Liquidia to make approximately $380.7 million in payments, providing United Therapeutics with financial compensation for resolving the disputes. The deal also gives investors more visibility into the future competitive landscape. LQDA Settles UTHR Disputes for $380.7M, Limits Yutrepia Label
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target for United Therapeutics to $728. Other analysts also remain constructive: the stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average target of $627.31, above the recent trading level. UTHR Price Target Raised to $728 at Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for approximately $5.13 million, reducing her ownership by 2.84%. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing, but the remaining stake is substantial and the sale alone does not establish a change in business outlook. United Therapeutics CEO Stock Sale SEC Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UTHR. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $515.00 to $566.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $368.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $677.00 to $708.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $642.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Davidson Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,252 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $6,097,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Brindle & Bay Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.7% during the third quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 1,950 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 19.8% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $656,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions. The company’s products include Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable form of treprostinil; Orenitram, an oral treprostinil product; and Adcirca, a tadalafil-based PAH treatment.

United Therapeutics markets its therapies primarily in the United States and internationally through commercial and regulatory activities in additional markets.