United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Acquired by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 14.0% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 82.5% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 966,370 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $307,837,000 after buying an additional 436,851 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $97,316,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 677.6% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 300,920 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $72,422,000 after purchasing an additional 262,222 shares during the period. Avidity Partners Management LP acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $52,158,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 567.2% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 180,800 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,533,000 after buying an additional 153,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on UTHR shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $270.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.17.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of UTHR opened at $357.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 4.18 and a current ratio of 4.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $341.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.59. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $366.08.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.48). The business had revenue of $714.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 40.87%. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.24 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total transaction of $2,821,050.45. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $947,597.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 269 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.41, for a total value of $93,722.29. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,293.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total transaction of $2,821,050.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 2,615 shares in the company, valued at $947,597.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 111,252 shares of company stock worth $36,939,427. Company insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

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.