Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Stock Price

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) had its target price upped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $697.00 to $725.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the biotechnology company’s stock.

UTHR has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $700.00 to $703.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered United Therapeutics from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $685.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $620.00 to $613.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $850.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $676.40.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of UTHR stock opened at $565.72 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $533.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $532.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.49. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $444.04 and a 12 month high of $614.23.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $5.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.01 by ($0.30). The business had revenue of $832.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.14 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 38.61% and a return on equity of 19.18%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.16 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics will post 26.09 EPS for the current year.

United Therapeutics declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the biotechnology company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 1,723 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $611.06, for a total transaction of $1,052,856.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 324,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $198,254,139.58. This trade represents a 0.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 8,300 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.67, for a total value of $4,968,961.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,043,121.24. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 401,528 shares of company stock valued at $212,977,429 in the last three months. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $2,868,735,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 866,930 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $514,016,000 after buying an additional 70,829 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $450,140,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $159,522,000. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $154,304,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting United Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting United Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets and maintained bullish ratings: BTIG lifted its target to $768, RBC to $725, and TD Cowen to $700. BTIG cited Tyvaso momentum in its positive outlook. Analyst outlook and Tyvaso momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $832.5 million, beating estimates of about $781 million. The company also announced a buydown of a royalty tied to ralinepag, potentially improving the economics of the therapy. Third-quarter results Ralinepag royalty announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $5.71 per share, below the roughly $6.01 analyst consensus and down from $7.16 a year earlier. The earnings miss and year-over-year decline in EPS may temper the positive revenue growth news. Quarterly earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Martine Rothblatt and EVP Paul Mahon reported stock sales. Insider sales can concern investors, although both executives retained substantial holdings after the transactions. CEO sale filing EVP sale filing

United Therapeutics Company Profile

United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company’s portfolio includes Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI, inhaled formulations of treprostinil; Remodulin, an injectable treprostinil product; and Orenitram, an oral treprostinil therapy. These treatments are designed to improve exercise ability and delay disease progression in people with PAH.

The company also markets Unituxin, an antibody therapy used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.