United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $478.16, but opened at $497.75. United Therapeutics shares last traded at $511.48, with a volume of 195,185 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on UTHR. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $587.00 to $643.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $423.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $655.00 to $705.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $539.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $482.51 and its 200 day moving average is $454.28. The stock has a market cap of $22.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.84.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported $7.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.78 by $0.92. The business had revenue of $790.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.80 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 41.94% and a return on equity of 19.30%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 24.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics news, Director Christopher Causey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $520.00, for a total transaction of $520,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,178,800. The trade was a 19.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.16, for a total value of $4,010,228.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,844 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,801,547.04. This trade represents a 18.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 329,684 shares of company stock valued at $160,260,377. Insiders own 10.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its position in United Therapeutics by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 3,619 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,767,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Tobam boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 9,857 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,803,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Wick Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $297,000. Mishpacha Holdings Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $487,000. Finally, Seven Fleet Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $633,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.