Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 12,481 Shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,372 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 12,481 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.29% of United Therapeutics worth $46,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ClariVest Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in United Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

United Therapeutics stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $361.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 448,382. The company has a 50 day moving average of $369.82 and a 200-day moving average of $341.06. The stock has a market cap of $16.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54. United Therapeutics Co. has a one year low of $208.62 and a one year high of $417.82.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.38 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Therapeutics Co. will post 25.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christopher Causey sold 510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.63, for a total transaction of $192,081.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,384,115.25. The trade was a 12.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 7,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.37, for a total transaction of $2,882,649.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,743,122.70. This trade represents a 17.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 119,340 shares of company stock worth $44,765,530 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Argus lifted 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. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $243.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.