United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Raised to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on UTHR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.17.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR opened at $368.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.34 billion, a PE ratio of 17.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.57. The business’s 50-day moving average is $350.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.45. United Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $377.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.35 and a quick ratio of 4.18.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $714.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 40.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.24 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 24.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.32, for a total transaction of $1,192,752.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,071.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.32, for a total transaction of $1,192,752.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $43,071.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 5,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,093,997.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 105,830 shares of company stock valued at $36,010,158. 12.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ClariVest Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% during the 2nd 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.