Royalty Pharma PLC $RPRX Stake Lowered by Ruffer LLP

Ruffer LLP cut its stake in Royalty Pharma PLC (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 26.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,184 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 47,747 shares during the quarter. Ruffer LLP’s holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $4,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Royalty Pharma by 603.9% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 655,995 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $23,701,000 after purchasing an additional 562,799 shares during the last quarter. Watchtower Advisors LP acquired a new position in Royalty Pharma in the second quarter worth approximately $3,603,000. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Royalty Pharma during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,702,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in Royalty Pharma in the third quarter valued at approximately $933,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 7,752.8% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 34,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,202,000 after acquiring an additional 33,647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Royalty Pharma news, EVP Marshall Urist sold 20,000 shares of Royalty Pharma stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.26, for a total transaction of $805,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $805,200. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Terrance P. Coyne sold 69,582 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.35, for a total transaction of $2,738,051.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 36,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,416,993.50. This represents a 65.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,045,675 shares of company stock worth $40,833,596. Company insiders own 18.90% of the company’s stock.

Royalty Pharma Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of RPRX stock opened at $40.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. Royalty Pharma PLC has a 1 year low of $29.66 and a 1 year high of $41.70. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.66. The company has a current ratio of 3.48, a quick ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $609.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $765.01 million. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 32.51% and a return on equity of 26.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Royalty Pharma PLC will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Royalty Pharma’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partners set a $45.00 price target on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Royalty Pharma from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Royalty Pharma from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Royalty Pharma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.20.

Royalty Pharma Profile

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.