United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) gapped up prior to trading on Monday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $575.00 to $660.00. The stock had previously closed at $522.83, but opened at $605.22. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $595.7250, with a volume of 438,978 shares changing hands.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on UTHR. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $466.00 to $486.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $557.64.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $471.91, for a total transaction of $10,617,975.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $489.91, for a total transaction of $4,654,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,688.30. This represents a 98.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 333,820 shares of company stock valued at $165,495,478. 10.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: TETON‑1 (Tyvaso) pivotal success — the 598‑patient Phase 3 trial met its primary endpoint, showing a Hodges‑Lehmann estimate of +130.1 mL change in absolute FVC at week 52 vs. placebo, a clinically meaningful result that expands Tyvaso’s potential market beyond PAH. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Ralinepag Phase 3 readout + buyback momentum — investors are still digesting positive ADVANCE OUTCOMES ralinepag data (large reduction in clinical‑worsening risk) and United Therapeutics’ board authorized up to $2B in buybacks with ~$1.5B in ASRs, which accelerates share‑count reduction and supports EPS. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Surge in call‑option activity — unusually large options flow (≈16,800 calls, ~789% above normal) signals bullish positioning and likely amplified intraday upside through speculative buying and short‑covering. (Market data entry)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift — TD Cowen raised its price target to $660 and reiterated a Buy view, which likely reinforced investor conviction after the clinical news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Read‑through to peers — some smaller respiratory/rare‑disease names saw moves on trial read‑throughs and analyst notes (e.g., Insmed), but the competitive or regulatory implications for other firms remain speculative. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares on March 26, and public filings show extensive insider sales over recent months; while not unusual for a high‑value stock, heavy insider disposals can be perceived as a headwind by some investors. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 12.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $498.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $474.96.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The company had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

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.