Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 81,822 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 41.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 115,251 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 81,822 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $26,474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 567.2% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 180,800 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,533,000 after buying an additional 153,700 shares during the period. Delap Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Shell Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 81.8% during the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 3,491 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $802,000 after acquiring an additional 1,571 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 133.3% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 700 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $1,078,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR stock opened at $338.22 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.77 and a quick ratio of 3.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $303.01 and its 200-day moving average is $257.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.55. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $343.98.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The biotechnology company reported $6.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.63 by $0.54. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 42.05%. The business had revenue of $677.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $620.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UTHR. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Christopher Causey sold 2,240 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.91, for a total transaction of $582,198.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,185 shares in the company, valued at $1,087,723.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.00, for a total value of $1,202,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,420. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher Causey sold 2,240 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.91, for a total transaction of $582,198.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,185 shares in the company, valued at $1,087,723.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 100,884 shares of company stock worth $29,622,803. 12.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.