United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a decrease of 14.3% from the December 31st total of 2,240,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 317,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days. Currently, 4.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.36.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $351.17. 414,604 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,464. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $365.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $356.94. The company has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.38 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, Director Judy D. Olian sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.48, for a total value of $721,840.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,574.40. This represents a 23.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,885,134.22. The trade was a 83.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 133,838 shares of company stock valued at $50,445,556 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 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.