United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $601.50.

UTHR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $471.00 to $519.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 target price on the stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $572.85 on Friday. United Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $607.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average of $534.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $493.24.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. The business had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 27.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.95, for a total transaction of $10,596,375.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 430,295 shares of company stock worth $229,488,901. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 55.9% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 76.7% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

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.