Aurora Investment Counsel Cuts Stake in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Aurora Investment Counsel lessened its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 81.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 858 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 3,696 shares during the quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 125.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on UTHR. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $644.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Jan Malcolm sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.59, for a total value of $178,941.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $247,765.50. This trade represents a 41.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $535.99, for a total transaction of $5,091,905.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,714,562.87. This trade represents a 19.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 564,743 shares of company stock worth $316,423,257 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $535.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $552.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $530.14. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 52 week low of $272.12 and a 52 week high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The firm had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.40 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. United Therapeutics’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.63 EPS for the current fiscal 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.