Poplar Forest Capital LLC Trims Stock Holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Poplar Forest Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) by 35.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 110,989 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 59,914 shares during the period. United Therapeutics makes up 3.6% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings in United Therapeutics were worth $24,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in United Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $91,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 504 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 670 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of United Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $203,000. 94.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Therapeutics

In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.31, for a total transaction of $1,291,860.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,880,130.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.31, for a total transaction of $1,291,860.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at $7,880,130.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Nilda Mesa sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.80, for a total transaction of $77,285.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,277,699.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 133,390 shares of company stock worth $31,379,925. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $2.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $237.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 634,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,032. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.74. United Therapeutics Co. has a 1 year low of $204.44 and a 1 year high of $261.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 4.28 and a current ratio of 4.41.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The biotechnology company reported $4.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.28 by $0.08. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 42.31% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The firm had revenue of $614.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $575.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United Therapeutics Co. will post 23.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. SVB Leerink initiated coverage on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $308.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.25.

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.