United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz Sells 15,000 Shares

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.32, for a total value of $6,109,800.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Michael Benkowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, November 7th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.44, for a total value of $6,021,600.00.
• On Friday, November 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.46, for a total value of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

UTHR stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $400.87. 356,947 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 464,288. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $359.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.54. The stock has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.56. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $208.62 and a 1 year high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $748.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.38 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. ClariVest Asset Management LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the 2nd quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UTHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on United Therapeutics from $303.00 to $280.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.86.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.