Squarepoint Ops LLC Lowers Holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Squarepoint Ops LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 38.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 384,132 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 242,051 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.07% of Royalty Pharma worth $9,799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,673,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $93,703,000 after purchasing an additional 640,000 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 129.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 15,096 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 8,518 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC now owns 34,891 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $890,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $506,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 73,380 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,872,000 after buying an additional 16,945 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on RPRX shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Royalty Pharma in a report on Friday, May 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Royalty Pharma from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.50.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Royalty Pharma stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $32.63. 2,900,335 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,471,513. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.28. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $18.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.49. Royalty Pharma plc has a fifty-two week low of $24.05 and a fifty-two week high of $34.32.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.07. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 37.94% and a return on equity of 24.40%. The business had revenue of $839.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $724.69 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Royalty Pharma's payout ratio is 47.57%.

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.