United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 26.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,640 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 2,080 shares during the quarter. United Therapeutics makes up approximately 1.0% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $1,990,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $82,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 31.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $90,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

United Therapeutics stock opened at $372.75 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $365.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $356.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total value of $2,828,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,485,785.60. This represents a 17.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher Causey sold 510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.63, for a total value of $192,081.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,675 shares in the company, valued at $1,384,115.25. This trade represents a 12.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 149,048 shares of company stock worth $56,142,199. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.