United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.54 EPS

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The biotechnology company reported $6.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.63 by $0.54, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $677.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $620.31 million. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 42.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.86 EPS.

United Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UTHR traded up $3.96 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $259.10. 427,483 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,315. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.50 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.54. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $204.44 and a 12 month high of $261.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 4.28 and a current ratio of 4.41.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other United Therapeutics 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 value of $1,291,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,880,130.69. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Paul A. Mahon sold 6,000 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,880,130.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Christopher Patusky sold 1,680 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.00, for a total transaction of $376,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $896. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 138,190 shares of company stock valued at $32,643,561 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UTHR. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. Leerink Partnrs reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Therapeutics from $309.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised United Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $213.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $306.00.

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.