Swiss National Bank Trims Stock Position in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,076,100 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 64,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.18% of Royalty Pharma worth $27,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,460,515 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $40,705,000 after purchasing an additional 70,130 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,131,628 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $79,888,000 after purchasing an additional 130,025 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Royalty Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at $2,355,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 303.4% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 539,995 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,926,000 after purchasing an additional 406,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 44.7% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,033,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $85,809,000 after purchasing an additional 936,900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of RPRX opened at $33.02 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day moving average is $31.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.59. Royalty Pharma plc has a 1 year low of $24.05 and a 1 year high of $34.20.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio is 60.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.60.

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.