United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Sells $3,566,800.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.68, for a total value of $3,566,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $919,164.36. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

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

• On Monday, December 23rd, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.95, for a total value of $3,619,500.00.
• On Monday, November 25th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.75, for a total transaction of $3,727,500.00.
• On Monday, November 11th, Michael Benkowitz sold 15,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.32, for a total transaction of $6,109,800.00.
• 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 transaction 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 transaction of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded down $4.80 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $352.84. 266,757 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 443,397. The stock has a market cap of $15.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $370.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $349.43. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $748.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $722.62 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTHR. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 120.0% in the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 77 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 14.0% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in United Therapeutics by 1.8% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $961,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UTHR. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on United Therapeutics from $315.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. 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. StockNews.com raised United Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. One research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.