Royalty Pharma PLC (NASDAQ:RPRX) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Royalty Pharma PLC (NASDAQ:RPRX) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $48.6667.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on RPRX. Citigroup boosted their target price on Royalty Pharma from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $61.00 price target on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research report on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Royalty Pharma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th.

Royalty Pharma Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Royalty Pharma stock traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.12. 463,658 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,690,636. The company has a quick ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $27.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85 and a beta of 0.40. Royalty Pharma has a 1 year low of $29.66 and a 1 year high of $47.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.28 and its 200 day moving average is $40.15.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $621.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.97 million. Royalty Pharma had a return on equity of 28.21% and a net margin of 32.38%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Royalty Pharma will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This is an increase from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Royalty Pharma’s payout ratio is currently 69.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Terrance P. Coyne sold 34,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total value of $1,584,034.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 43,886 shares in the company, valued at $1,998,129.58. This trade represents a 44.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marshall Urist sold 20,000 shares of Royalty Pharma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.09, for a total value of $821,800.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 532,287 shares of company stock valued at $22,215,917 over the last 90 days. 18.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royalty Pharma

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RPRX. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 13,113 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $521,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 9,318 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Royalty Pharma by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 43,287 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,673,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its position in Royalty Pharma by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 24,405 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $943,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 1.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 18,591 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

About Royalty Pharma

Royalty Pharma plc is a specialty finance company that acquires biopharmaceutical royalty interests and provides non-dilutive financing to drug developers and rights holders. The firm purchases future royalty streams, milestone-contingent payments and other revenue rights linked to approved and late-stage pharmaceutical and biotechnology products. By paying upfront consideration for these rights, Royalty Pharma seeks to generate long-term cash flows tied to the commercial performance of a diversified portfolio of medicines.

The company’s transaction structures include outright royalty purchases, structured financings and milestone arrangements tailored to the needs of innovator companies, academic institutions and investors.