Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 82.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,021 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 3,179 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $3,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UTHR. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 443 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 77.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,843 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,691,000 after buying an additional 5,600 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in United Therapeutics by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $544.69 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $568.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $519.64. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12 month low of $272.12 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.12 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. 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 initiated coverage on 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, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $619.42.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.07, for a total transaction of $4,540,681.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $24,712,246.04. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $546.28, for a total value of $5,462,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,311,581.28. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 624,043 shares of company stock worth $351,930,785 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

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.