United Therapeutics Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders purchased 12,089 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 220% compared to the average daily volume of 3,777 call options.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR stock traded down $6.93 on Friday, reaching $534.58. 292,796 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 555,278. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $409.07 and a 12 month high of $609.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $513.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $540.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.49.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $7.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.86 by $0.41. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.56% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The business had revenue of $783.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $804.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 26.40 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTHR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $728.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $677.00 to $708.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $687.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $642.69.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Paul Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.95, for a total transaction of $4,689,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,519,921.40. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Martine Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.99, for a total value of $5,129,905.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares in the company, valued at $175,195,975.57. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 383,728 shares of company stock worth $198,367,306. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTHR. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 2,400.0% during the second quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 50 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $81,000. Institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other serious cardiopulmonary conditions. The company’s products include Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable form of treprostinil; Orenitram, an oral treprostinil product; and Adcirca, a tadalafil-based PAH treatment.

United Therapeutics markets its therapies primarily in the United States and internationally through commercial and regulatory activities in additional markets.