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 the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.71, for a total transaction of $3,707,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $955,319.67. This trade represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

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

• On Tuesday, January 21st, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.91, for a total value of $3,649,100.00.
• On Monday, January 13th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.62, for a total transaction of $3,646,200.00.
• On Monday, December 30th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.68, for a total transaction of $3,566,800.00.
• On Monday, December 23rd, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total transaction of $3,619,500.00.
• On Monday, November 25th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.75, for a total value of $3,727,500.00.
• On Monday, November 11th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $401.44, for a total value of $6,021,600.00.
• On Friday, November 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.46, for a total transaction of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR traded up $1.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $370.85. 320,223 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,807. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12-month low of $208.62 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $365.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $356.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.38 earnings per share. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 8.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 633 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com raised United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.36.

United Therapeutics Company 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.