Leerink Partnrs Comments on United Therapeutics Co.’s Q1 2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) – Analysts at Leerink Partnrs upped their Q1 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of United Therapeutics in a research report issued on Wednesday, April 17th. Leerink Partnrs analyst R. Ruiz now expects that the biotechnology company will earn $5.93 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $5.90. Leerink Partnrs has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for United Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is $23.46 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for United Therapeutics’ Q2 2024 earnings at $6.32 EPS and Q3 2024 earnings at $7.04 EPS.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.28 by $0.08. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 42.31%. The company had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 25.1% on a year-over-year basis.

UTHR has been the topic of several other research reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.67.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $236.93 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $231.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 4.28. United Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $204.44 and a 1-year high of $261.54. The company has a market cap of $11.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 0.52.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 28,326 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,244,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 229.6% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,063 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,160,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 187.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 877 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.01, for a total value of $1,290,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,869,150.99. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other United Therapeutics news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.80, for a total transaction of $77,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,699.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.01, for a total value of $1,290,060.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,869,150.99. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 126,190 shares of company stock valued at $29,672,157 in the last three months. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.