United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy” Rating

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

UTHR has been the subject of several other reports. Oppenheimer increased their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Argus boosted 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.36.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $361.64 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $369.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $353.31. The stock has a market cap of $16.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.16 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $748.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.38 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other United Therapeutics news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total transaction of $2,828,672.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,485,785.60. This trade represents a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO James Edgemond sold 7,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $2,730,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,442,300. The trade was a 52.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 144,630 shares of company stock worth $54,371,916 over the last three months. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,761,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently 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.