United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Sells $4,787,606.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $576.82, for a total value of $4,787,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,056,113.04. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $588.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $526.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $489.98. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 12-month low of $272.12 and a 12-month high of $607.89.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.78 by $0.92. The business had revenue of $790.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 41.94%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UTHR shares. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on United Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $486.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $471.00 to $519.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $601.50.

Key Stories Impacting United Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow — Traders bought 15,930 UTHR call options on Friday (about a 665% jump versus average call volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can amplify near-term upside or volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases and constructive coverage — Multiple firms have raised price targets recently (examples cited include Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, BofA and RBC) and the consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target near $601.50, supporting positive investor sentiment. Analyst Coverage & MarketBeat Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Small CEO sale disclosed — CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 75 shares (March 13) for roughly $40k; the size is immaterial to overall ownership and is unlikely on its own to drive stock direction. InsiderTrades Alert
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional/hedge fund activity — Several funds adjusted positions (some added, some trimmed); UTHR remains heavily institutionally owned (~94%), which tends to moderate retail-driven swings. MarketBeat: Insider & Institutional Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling by CEO — Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares on April 15 (~$5.5M at ~$580.36), a significant reduction in her reported holding per filings; large insider sales can be perceived negatively by investors. SEC Filing: CEO Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Large EVP sale — EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares on April 16 for roughly $4.79M, a meaningful insider disposition that may pressure sentiment if more insider sales follow. SEC Filing: EVP Sale

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 74.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,441,492 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,189,617,000 after buying an additional 1,042,711 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Global Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $317,617,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $293,418,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,606,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,269,803,000 after buying an additional 383,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 75.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 796,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $387,801,000 after buying an additional 341,383 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Company 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.