Two Sigma Advisers LP Increases Stock Holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,673,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 640,000 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.62% of Royalty Pharma worth $93,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 16,968,321 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $432,862,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069,127 shares during the period. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 12,164,170 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $310,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136,800 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,312,551 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $186,846,000 after purchasing an additional 46,765 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Royalty Pharma in the fourth quarter worth about $124,498,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,330,429 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $84,959,000 after purchasing an additional 376,619 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.35% of the company's stock.

Royalty Pharma Stock Up 0.4%

RPRX traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $32.45. 2,514,291 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,469,980. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $32.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12-month low of $24.05 and a 12-month high of $34.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Royalty Pharma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Royalty Pharma's payout ratio is 47.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on RPRX. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a report on Friday, March 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Royalty Pharma from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Royalty Pharma in a research report on Friday, May 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $51.00 price target for the company. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.50.

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.