Westpac Banking Corp Decreases Holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation $UTHR

Westpac Banking Corp lowered its holdings in United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 74.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 377 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 1,098 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in United Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1,400.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 60 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 426.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 125.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 88 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $700.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $701.00 to $704.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised United Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $575.00 to $735.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $648.33.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of UTHR opened at $529.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average is $548.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $531.41. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported $5.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.00 by ($1.18). United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.62% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The firm had revenue of $781.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $797.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that United Therapeutics Corporation will post 26.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $535.99, for a total transaction of $5,091,905.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,714,562.87. This represents a 19.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jan Malcolm sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.59, for a total value of $178,941.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $247,765.50. This represents a 41.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 513,333 shares of company stock worth $286,933,042 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Company 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.