United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $370.86.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.6 %

United Therapeutics stock opened at $357.64 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $370.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $348.93. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The stock has a market cap of $15.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.38 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.88, for a total value of $2,773,016.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,093,997.92. This trade represents a 56.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total transaction of $2,828,672.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,485,785.60. The trade was a 17.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 139,961 shares of company stock worth $52,612,290 in the last quarter. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 35.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 192,546 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $68,999,000 after purchasing an additional 50,291 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 201,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $72,277,000 after acquiring an additional 46,170 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,698,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 97.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $89,532,000 after acquiring an additional 123,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tri Ri Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $7,686,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

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.