United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Sells $3,649,100.00 in Stock

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $364.91, for a total value of $3,649,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $940,373.07. The trade was a 79.51 % decrease in their position. 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, January 13th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $364.62, for a total transaction of $3,646,200.00.
• On Monday, December 30th, Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.68, for a total transaction of $3,566,800.00.
• 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 stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $401.44, for a total value of $6,021,600.00.
• On Friday, November 1st, Michael Benkowitz sold 14,700 shares of United Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.46, for a total transaction of $5,504,562.00.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded up $3.31 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $371.28. 318,242 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 296,211. United Therapeutics Co. has a 52-week low of $208.62 and a 52-week high of $417.82. The firm has a market cap of $16.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $365.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $355.01.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on United Therapeutics from $319.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.36.

Institutional Trading of United Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,441,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in United Therapeutics by 0.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its stake in United Therapeutics by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

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.