Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Takes Position in United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 592 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,108 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,214,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased 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 buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in United Therapeutics by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in United Therapeutics by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tommy G. Thompson sold 2,500 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.80, for a total transaction of $797,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,703,424. This trade represents a 22.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Benkowitz sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.05, for a total value of $3,710,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $956,195.85. This represents a 79.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 82,755 shares of company stock valued at $29,792,021. Company insiders own 11.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UTHR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded United Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group increased their price target 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. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of United Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $388.25.

United Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $310.82 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $342.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $356.31. United Therapeutics Co. has a one year low of $221.53 and a one year high of $417.82. The firm has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a PE ratio of 13.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.64.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued 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. United Therapeutics had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $735.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $734.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.36 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Therapeutics Co. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Therapeutics 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.