United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $542.26 and last traded at $542.3740, with a volume of 143512 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $529.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $423.00 to $466.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $539.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 3.0%

The company’s 50 day moving average is $483.03 and its 200 day moving average is $455.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.19 EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.30, for a total transaction of $11,166,750.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 329,497 shares of company stock valued at $160,170,312. 10.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,248 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $9,379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 3,619 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,767,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the period. Tobam boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Tobam now owns 9,857 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Wick Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Finally, Mishpacha Holdings Corp bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $487,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Company 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.