Poplar Forest Capital LLC Sells 59,914 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Poplar Forest Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 35.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 110,989 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 59,914 shares during the period. United Therapeutics accounts for approximately 3.6% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Poplar Forest Capital LLC owned about 0.24% of United Therapeutics worth $24,405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. now owns 1,275 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 62,709 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $13,789,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $513,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 15,642 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,440,000 after acquiring an additional 5,622 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $2.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $237.00. The stock had a trading volume of 634,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,032. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 4.28. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $261.54.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.28 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $575.01 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.47, for a total transaction of $851,292.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,741.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other United Therapeutics news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.59, for a total transaction of $3,548,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,756.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.47, for a total transaction of $851,292.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 133,390 shares of company stock valued at $31,379,925. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on UTHR. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $213.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. SVB Leerink initiated coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partnrs reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.25.

United Therapeutics 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.