Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $11.74 Million Position in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 36.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 460,183 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 261,144 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $11,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Royalty Pharma by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 12,164,170 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $310,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136,800 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 58.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,001,603 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $84,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,341 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $85,809,000 after buying an additional 936,900 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,898,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,265,786 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $205,562,000 after buying an additional 417,490 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Royalty Pharma Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of RPRX opened at $33.42 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $19.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.94. Royalty Pharma plc has a 52-week low of $24.05 and a 52-week high of $33.69.

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

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on RPRX. StockNews.com upgraded Royalty Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen raised shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Company 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.