United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on UTHR. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $316.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $308.00 price objective (up previously from $307.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $256.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR opened at $224.43 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 8.40, a current ratio of 8.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $283.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.94. The stock has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The biotechnology company reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.10 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $609.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $585.82 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 17.61% and a net margin of 40.82%. The company’s revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.91 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 18.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.98, for a total value of $1,337,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,160,845.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other United Therapeutics news, Director Nilda Mesa sold 383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.36, for a total transaction of $85,163.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,303 shares in the company, valued at $1,401,535.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.98, for a total transaction of $1,337,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,160,845.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,383 shares of company stock worth $6,806,244. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 61.4% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 163 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 198.7% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 224 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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. Its commercial therapies include Remodulin to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Remunity Pump, a small, lightweight, durable pump and separate controller; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; Unituxin, a monoclonal antibody for treating high-risk neuroblastoma; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.