Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Buys New Position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 22,100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,798,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2,090,573.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 18,314,300 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,462,018,000 after purchasing an additional 18,313,424 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $151,764,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,471,405 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $519,170,000 after purchasing an additional 393,777 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,325.5% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 204,299 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $72,085,000 after purchasing an additional 189,967 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 577.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 189,780 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $66,962,000 after purchasing an additional 161,751 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $303.92 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1-year low of $264.33 and a 1-year high of $417.82. The company has a market capitalization of $13.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.35, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $299.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $340.91.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.82 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.17 EPS. United Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. Bank of America raised United Therapeutics from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $314.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $314.00 price objective (down from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $346.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $392.00.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.76, for a total transaction of $3,607,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $929,678.52. This trade represents a 79.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.18, for a total value of $3,367,980.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,261,606.58. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 65,500 shares of company stock valued at $20,765,280 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.90% 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.