United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Holdings Cut by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 79,447 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 10,132 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.18% of United Therapeutics worth $28,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.6% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 2,047 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $652,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the second quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.0% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $961,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus lifted their price target on United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Judy D. Olian sold 1,750 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.48, for a total value of $721,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,332,574.40. The trade was a 23.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.36, for a total transaction of $2,828,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,485,785.60. This represents a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 144,630 shares of company stock worth $54,371,916. Insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of UTHR opened at $358.93 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $367.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $353.73. The stock has a market cap of $16.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.57. United Therapeutics Co. has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.38 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.