United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Sold by Poplar Forest Capital LLC

Poplar Forest Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 45.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,875 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 50,244 shares during the period. United Therapeutics makes up approximately 3.9% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Poplar Forest Capital LLC owned 0.13% of United Therapeutics worth $21,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Therapeutics by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,094,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $391,459,000 after buying an additional 45,566 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,077,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $386,168,000 after buying an additional 314,004 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 597,634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $210,869,000 after buying an additional 30,931 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 460,419 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $164,978,000 after buying an additional 50,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 419,957 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $150,492,000 after buying an additional 152,249 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total value of $3,619,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $932,745.15. The trade was a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,885,134.22. This trade represents a 83.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 124,164 shares of company stock valued at $45,278,893. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $319.96 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52 week low of $221.53 and a 52 week high of $417.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $359.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $360.46.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.10 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $734.74 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.36 EPS. Analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

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.