QRG Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,971 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $5,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $111,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $319.96 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $14.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $221.53 and a 1-year high of $417.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $359.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $360.46.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.10 by $0.09. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.36 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,051 shares in the company, valued at $1,885,134.22. This represents a 83.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total transaction of $3,619,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at $932,745.15. The trade was a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 124,164 shares of company stock valued at $45,278,893. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.