Insider Selling: United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total value of $3,619,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $932,745.15. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Michael Benkowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, November 25th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.75, for a total transaction of $3,727,500.00.
• On Monday, November 11th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.32, for a total transaction of $6,109,800.00.
• On Thursday, November 7th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.44, for a total transaction of $6,021,600.00.
• On Friday, November 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.46, for a total value of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.1 %

UTHR opened at $359.96 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52 week low of $208.62 and a 52 week high of $417.82. The business’s 50 day moving average is $370.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.96. The firm has a market cap of $16.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on UTHR. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Argus raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,174,692 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $692,748,000 after acquiring an additional 22,978 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,094,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $391,459,000 after purchasing an additional 45,566 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 41.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,077,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $386,168,000 after purchasing an additional 314,004 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 82.5% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 966,370 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $307,837,000 after purchasing an additional 436,851 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in United Therapeutics by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 585,969 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $186,656,000 after buying an additional 22,683 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Therapeutics

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.