LPL Financial LLC Increases Stock Position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 77.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,246 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,007 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $7,783,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UTHR. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $101,354,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 29,415.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 221,954 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $68,422,000 after acquiring an additional 221,202 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 488,854 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $172,487,000 after acquiring an additional 110,298 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in United Therapeutics by 49.0% in the first quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 282,739 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $87,160,000 after acquiring an additional 92,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 20.8% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 518,450 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $159,823,000 after acquiring an additional 89,290 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $348.00 to $328.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. HC Wainwright set a $400.00 target price on United Therapeutics and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.69.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of United Therapeutics stock opened at $301.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $13.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $266.98 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $296.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $310.59.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.80 by ($0.39). The firm had revenue of $798.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.13 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.73% and a net margin of 40.36%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Richard Giltner sold 3,036 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.60, for a total value of $879,225.60. Following the sale, the director owned 19,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,613,606.40. This trade represents a 13.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $3,300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,034,300. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 81,681 shares of company stock worth $24,618,359 in the last quarter. Insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

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.