The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Decreases Stake in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 8.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 56,361 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 5,339 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $33,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Leuthold Group LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Leuthold Group LLC now owns 10,672 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,126 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 225,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $110,045,000 after purchasing an additional 70,445 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,059,000. Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 6,622 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,342 shares during the period. Finally, LBP AM SA acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,745,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $578.58, for a total transaction of $5,785,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,921,276.08. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 502,833 shares of company stock valued at $279,377,162. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $517.71 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $272.12 and a 12-month high of $609.35. The company has a market capitalization of $21.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $543.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $532.44.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). The company had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 40.62%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.63 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial started coverage on United Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $648.33.

United Therapeutics Profile

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.