Ascent Group LLC Acquires 156 Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Ascent Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 21.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 874 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 141.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 103.2% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 193 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $448.93 on Thursday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $266.98 and a 52-week high of $459.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $365.94 and a 200 day moving average of $321.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.96 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.24, for a total transaction of $10,130,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.60, for a total transaction of $4,802,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,058,584.60. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 257,935 shares of company stock valued at $103,782,672. Corporate insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on UTHR shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $314.00 to $463.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $510.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $405.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $449.57.

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.