United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $648.3333.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $575.00 to $735.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Bank of America cut their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 7th.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $527.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $547.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $531.86. The company has a market cap of $22.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.58. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $272.12 and a fifty-two week high of $609.35.

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 analysts’ expectations of $797.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 26.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $552.56, for a total transaction of $4,586,248.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,960,240.32. This represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jan Malcolm sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.59, for a total transaction of $178,941.75. Following the transaction, the director owned 450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $247,765.50. This represents a 41.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 493,833 shares of company stock valued at $275,841,047. 8.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 18.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 77.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.9% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% 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.