United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 233,537 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the previous session’s volume of 301,818 shares.The stock last traded at $353.33 and had previously closed at $354.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UTHR shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Argus upped their price target on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $382.08.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $15.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $362.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $357.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.32, for a total transaction of $6,109,800.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 255 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.77, for a total value of $90,721.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,966,696.56. The trade was a 4.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,614 shares of company stock worth $47,868,005 over the last quarter. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 2,090,573.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 18,314,300 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,462,018,000 after purchasing an additional 18,313,424 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $139,206,000. FMR LLC increased its position in United Therapeutics by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,077,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $386,168,000 after acquiring an additional 314,004 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 577.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 189,780 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $66,962,000 after acquiring an additional 161,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 419,957 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $150,492,000 after acquiring an additional 152,249 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.