Michael Benkowitz Sells 22,500 Shares of United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $471.91, for a total value of $10,617,975.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Michael Benkowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, January 20th, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,625 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.66, for a total transaction of $6,795,652.50.
• On Tuesday, January 20th, Michael Benkowitz sold 7,875 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.66, for a total transaction of $3,659,197.50.
• On Monday, January 12th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $479.51, for a total transaction of $10,788,975.00.
• On Monday, January 5th, Michael Benkowitz sold 7,875 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.38, for a total transaction of $3,838,117.50.
• On Monday, January 5th, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,625 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.38, for a total transaction of $7,127,932.50.
• On Monday, December 29th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $502.79, for a total value of $11,312,775.00.
• On Monday, December 22nd, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.35, for a total value of $11,572,875.00.
• On Monday, December 15th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.30, for a total value of $11,166,750.00.
• On Monday, December 8th, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.58, for a total value of $10,768,050.00.
• On Monday, December 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.91, for a total value of $10,797,975.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $467.70 on Friday. United Therapeutics Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $266.98 and a fifty-two week high of $519.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $487.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $418.94.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The biotechnology company reported $7.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.89 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $799.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $812.87 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.65% and a return on equity of 18.83%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.39 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on UTHR shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $645.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $414.00 to $423.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $509.50.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Darwin Global Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $317,617,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $136,453,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 90.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 884,703 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $254,219,000 after purchasing an additional 419,588 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 40.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,273,161 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $362,876,000 after purchasing an additional 364,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $157,390,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.