United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on UTHR. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of United Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $321.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.17.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $368.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $208.62 and a 52 week high of $377.03. The company has a quick ratio of 4.18, a current ratio of 4.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $350.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.45.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported $5.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $714.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $691.87 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.87% and a return on equity of 18.82%. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.24 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 24.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.88, for a total value of $2,773,016.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 5,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,093,997.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,792 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.88, for a total value of $2,773,016.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 5,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,093,997.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 269 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.41, for a total transaction of $93,722.29. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,293.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 102,230 shares of company stock worth $34,817,406 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. ClariVest Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.