BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 27,941 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 39.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,156 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 27,941 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.10% of United Therapeutics worth $20,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Darwin Global Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $317,617,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,418,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $157,390,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 225,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $110,045,000 after purchasing an additional 70,445 shares during the period. Finally, Soleus Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 35.0% during the second quarter. Soleus Capital Management L.P. now owns 209,794 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $60,284,000 after purchasing an additional 54,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UTHR. Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $619.42.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total transaction of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,956,712.48. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 624,043 shares of company stock worth $351,649,680. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $549.87 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $568.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $518.83. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $272.12 and a fifty-two week high of $609.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The firm had revenue of $781.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $797.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.63 EPS. United Therapeutics’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.