United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Given New $486.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its price objective lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $466.00 to $486.00 in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the biotechnology company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on UTHR. TD Cowen increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $549.91.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $521.22 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $22.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $491.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $469.91. United Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $266.98 and a 52-week high of $548.12.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $814.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $489.91, for a total value of $4,654,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 130 shares in the company, valued at $63,688.30. This trade represents a 98.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 22,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $479.51, for a total value of $10,788,975.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 328,320 shares of company stock worth $161,722,643 in the last three months. Insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTHR. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 396.3% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,288 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,798,000 after acquiring an additional 3,424 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 194.7% in the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 4,503 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $444,000. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,351,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 271.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 46,082 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $14,027,000 after purchasing an additional 33,662 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.