Martine Rothblatt Sells 9,500 Shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.74, for a total transaction of $4,928,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,301,561.82. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $538.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $539.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $534.22. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52-week low of $292.34 and a 52-week high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The business had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America lowered their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $515.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $646.00.

Key United Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations. United Therapeutics reported second-quarter EPS of $7.27, above the roughly $6.86 consensus and up from $6.41 a year earlier. Strong profitability, including a net margin above 40%, provides a favorable fundamental backdrop. United Therapeutics Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline milestones are offsetting near-term product concerns. Investors are focusing on progress for ralinepag, including its Phase 3 milestone and regulatory applications. The program could provide a new growth driver and reduce reliance on Tyvaso amid competitive pressures. EPS Strength and Ralinepag’s Phase 3 Milestone
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. H.C. Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating with a $660 price target. RBC maintained an Outperform rating and set a $677 target, despite reducing its previous target from $704. These targets indicate continued confidence in United Therapeutics’ longer-term prospects. Buy Rating Reiterated on United Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue fell short of estimates. Second-quarter revenue was $783.3 million, below the $804.65 million consensus and down 1.9% year over year. The revenue miss highlights near-term pressure even as earnings and pipeline updates were encouraging. United Therapeutics Q2 Earnings Results
• Negative Sentiment: Senior executives sold sizable positions. CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares for approximately $4.9 million, while EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares for about $4.3 million. The transactions may reflect personal or scheduled sales, but the reductions in insider ownership could weigh on investor sentiment. United Therapeutics Insider Selling

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arjuna Capital lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 474 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.4% during the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 4.1% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 833 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of unique products to address life-threatening illnesses. The company’s primary focus has been on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it has launched several therapies designed to improve functional capacity and quality of life for patients. Its marketed products include continuous infusion treprostinil (Remodulin), inhaled treprostinil (Tyvaso), oral treprostinil (Orenitram) and tadalafil (Adcirca), each tailored to different modes of administration and patient needs.