United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Down 3.5%

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) shares traded down 3.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $317.30 and last traded at $322.08. 359,761 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 491,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $333.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UTHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $270.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.73.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $14.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $315.00 and a 200 day moving average of $266.16.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $714.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.87% and a return on equity of 18.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.24 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 266 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.58, for a total value of $84,742.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,107 shares in the company, valued at $1,626,988.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.39, for a total value of $1,182,204.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,690.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.58, for a total value of $84,742.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,626,988.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 127,334 shares of company stock valued at $39,743,820 over the last 90 days. 12.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 176.2% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,315 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 9,133 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 25,686 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,901,000 after buying an additional 4,100 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 13,769.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after buying an additional 8,950 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 90.3% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 55,481 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $12,200,000 after acquiring an additional 26,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.9% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 165,911 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $38,113,000 after acquiring an additional 9,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.