Westpac Banking Corp Invests $719,000 in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,475 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $719,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Global Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $317,617,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $293,418,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $157,390,000. UBS Group AG raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 225,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $110,045,000 after acquiring an additional 70,445 shares during the period. Finally, Soleus Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 35.0% in the 2nd quarter. Soleus Capital Management L.P. now owns 209,794 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $60,284,000 after acquiring an additional 54,400 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UTHR opened at $549.47 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $567.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $518.04. The firm has a market cap of $23.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Corporation has a 1 year low of $272.12 and a 1 year high of $609.35.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by ($1.18). The business 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.63 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UTHR. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $575.00 to $735.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $569.00 to $626.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $516.00 target price on United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $619.42.

Insider Transactions at United Therapeutics

In related news, CFO James Edgemond sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $527.48, for a total value of $5,274,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,876 shares in the company, valued at $9,956,712.48. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 605,743 shares of company stock valued at $340,981,769. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics 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.