United Therapeutics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 37,003 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,290% compared to the average daily volume of 2,663 call options.

Insider Activity

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $517.05, for a total value of $4,291,515.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares in the company, valued at $23,356,182.60. The trade was a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $506.59, for a total value of $4,812,605.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $164,359,579.37. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 452,575 shares of company stock worth $245,684,184 over the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position 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 valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $704.00 to $677.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $646.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $4.97 on Wednesday, reaching $523.24. The company had a trading volume of 92,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 489,333. The firm has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.59. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $302.19 and a fifty-two week high of $609.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $534.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $536.74.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $783.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $804.65 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 41.56%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.41 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 26.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.