Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 46,981 Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Marathon Asset Management Ltd decreased its holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 715,170 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 46,981 shares during the period. Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $18,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1,006.9% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 963 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 417.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,087 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 362.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,203 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 3,953.3% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 187.1% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Royalty Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen raised shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RPRX opened at $33.64 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.19. Royalty Pharma plc has a one year low of $24.05 and a one year high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.16. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 37.94% and a return on equity of 24.40%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.69%.

Royalty Pharma Profile

Royalty Pharma plc operates as a buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a funder of innovations in the biopharmaceutical industry in the United States. It is also involved in the identification, evaluation, and acquisition of royalties on various biopharmaceutical therapies. In addition, the company collaborates with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and not-for-profits, small and mid-cap biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies.