United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Trading Down 3.4% Following Insider Selling

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) shares traded down 3.4% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $236.07 and last traded at $239.32. 136,394 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 400,432 shares. The stock had previously closed at $247.86.

Specifically, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.33, for a total transaction of $3,724,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,282.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.33, for a total transaction of $3,724,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $32,282.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.72, for a total transaction of $1,312,320.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $8,004,933.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 76,680 shares of company stock worth $17,886,630. Corporate insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $213.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. SVB Leerink began coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, February 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.40.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.41, a quick ratio of 4.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $225.77 and its 200-day moving average is $227.41. The company has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 0.52.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.28 by $0.08. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The company had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. United Therapeutics’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,636 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 540.5% in the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 23,700 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,211,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,828 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $1,353,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,045 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $7,048,000 after purchasing an additional 7,704 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.