Illumine Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Illumine Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,546 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,015,000. United Therapeutics makes up 2.5% of Illumine Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Milestone Asset Management LLC boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 2,874 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,427 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,326,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 35.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 192,546 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $68,999,000 after acquiring an additional 50,291 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 97.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,719 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $89,532,000 after acquiring an additional 123,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 113.3% in the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 23,922 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,441,000 after acquiring an additional 12,705 shares in the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $323.62 on Friday. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $221.53 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.45 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $360.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $360.55.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.10 by $0.09. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $734.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.36 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.37, for a total value of $2,882,649.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,743,122.70. This represents a 17.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.76, for a total value of $3,607,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $929,678.52. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 124,164 shares of company stock worth $45,278,893. 11.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UTHR shares. UBS Group increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Argus increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Profile

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.