Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 0.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 213,498 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $49,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 176.2% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,315 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,288,000 after buying an additional 9,133 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 25,686 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,901,000 after acquiring an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 13,769.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 9,015 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after purchasing an additional 8,950 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 94,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $20,617,000 after purchasing an additional 33,338 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in United Therapeutics by 90.3% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 55,481 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $12,200,000 after purchasing an additional 26,325 shares during the period. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR traded up $1.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $338.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 290,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,807. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $343.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $303.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $257.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.77 and a quick ratio of 3.64. The company has a market cap of $15.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.55.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The biotechnology company reported $6.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.63 by $0.54. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.05% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The firm had revenue of $677.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $620.31 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.35, for a total value of $847,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,595.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Martine A. Rothblatt sold 3,600 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.35, for a total transaction of $847,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130 shares in the company, valued at $30,595.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.35, for a total transaction of $346,298.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,884 shares of company stock worth $29,622,803. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $310.00 to $321.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Therapeutics from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on United Therapeutics from $270.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.64.

United Therapeutics Company 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.