Empowered Funds LLC Sells 23,607 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Empowered Funds LLC cut its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 53.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,784 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 23,607 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $12,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UTHR. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UTHR. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $648.33.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $524.70 on Thursday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $609.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $545.45 and its 200-day moving average is $532.24.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The business had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about United Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Promising ralinepag trial results: The Lancet published full results from United Therapeutics’ ADVANCE OUTCOMES study. Investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment ralinepag reduced the risk of clinical worsening by 55% versus placebo, improving the company’s potential pipeline outlook. Ralinepag is not yet approved by the FDA, so regulatory and commercialization risks remain. United Therapeutics Announces ADVANCE OUTCOMES Study of Ralinepag Published in The Lancet
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: Eleven analysts rate UTHR a Buy and two rate it a Hold, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. The average price target is $648.33, with JPMorgan recently raising its target to $687 and HC Wainwright increasing its target to $660. United Therapeutics Given Average Rating of Moderate Buy by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high: Hedge funds and other institutional investors own approximately 94.1% of UTHR’s shares. Several institutions increased their positions during the second quarter, signaling continued professional-investor interest, although this does not guarantee further gains. United Therapeutics Insider Trading Report
• Negative Sentiment: CEO stock sale may pressure sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for roughly $5.04 million, reducing her direct stake by 2.84%. She still owns a substantial position, so the transaction may reflect liquidity or diversification rather than a negative view of the business, but insider selling can weigh on investor confidence. Insider Selling United Therapeutics CEO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Recent operating results were below expectations: United Therapeutics previously reported quarterly earnings and revenue below consensus, with revenue declining 1.6% year over year. That performance remains a concern despite the company’s strong profitability and promising pipeline.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Jan Malcolm sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.59, for a total value of $178,941.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,765.50. The trade was a 41.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $530.42, for a total transaction of $5,038,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $172,091,056.06. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 502,833 shares of company stock worth $279,835,157. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Profile

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.