Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Price

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $348.00 to $328.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.99% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on UTHR. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $410.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $321.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $314.00 price target (down previously from $395.00) on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $405.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $383.08.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $295.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $301.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $320.31. United Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.34. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.44% and a return on equity of 19.33%. The firm had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $726.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.37, for a total value of $3,904,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at $2,641,353.66. This represents a 59.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 645 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.99, for a total transaction of $187,043.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,416,021.17. This trade represents a 11.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 76,681 shares of company stock worth $22,813,739 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 103.2% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 193 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% 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.