United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Short Interest Update

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, a drop of 25.6% from the February 28th total of 2,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 444,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days. Approximately 4.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of United Therapeutics 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,373.07. The trade was a 79.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total value of $797,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 72,500 shares of company stock worth $26,134,500. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in United Therapeutics by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in United Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. 94.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Therapeutics Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR opened at $306.97 on Monday. United Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $221.53 and a 12-month high of $417.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $340.06 and a 200-day moving average of $355.85. The stock has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $6.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.10 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $735.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.74 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.36 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Therapeutics will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UTHR shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $388.25.

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.