United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP reduced its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 84.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,105 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 105,538 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $6,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 120.0% during the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 14.0% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the second quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 7,265 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 2.7% during the first quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $358.35 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $342.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $296.92. United Therapeutics Co. has a twelve month low of $208.62 and a twelve month high of $366.08. The company has a current ratio of 4.35, a quick ratio of 4.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued 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). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 40.87%. The firm had revenue of $714.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.87 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $323.38, for a total value of $8,084,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $833,350.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,785 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.37, for a total value of $2,821,050.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $947,597.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $323.38, for a total value of $8,084,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at $833,350.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 107,652 shares of company stock valued at $35,785,807 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UTHR shares. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of United Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $321.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.17.

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.