Vestor Capital LLC Acquires 71,688 Shares of Royalty Pharma PLC $RPRX

Key Points

• Vestor Capital increased its Royalty Pharma stake by 597.4% in the first quarter, adding 71,688 shares to own 83,688 shares valued at approximately $4.0 million. Other institutions also raised holdings, with institutional investors collectively owning 54.35% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: seven analysts rate Royalty Pharma a Buy, with a consensus price target of $56.57. Recent target increases included Citigroup at $66 and TD Cowen at $65.
• Royalty Pharma reported first-quarter EPS of $1.30, exceeding estimates of $1.22, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, or $0.94 annualized, yielding about 1.6%. Insiders have sold 393,009 shares worth roughly $21.6 million over the past three months.

Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma PLC (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 597.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,688 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,688 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $4,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 367.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 203,760 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $6,342,000 after acquiring an additional 160,191 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,990 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,490,000 after purchasing an additional 13,489 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in shares of Royalty Pharma in the 1st quarter valued at $264,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 41.0% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 47,992 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,494,000 after purchasing an additional 13,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 21.4% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,559,378 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $56,184,000 after buying an additional 274,960 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher Hite sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.52, for a total transaction of $5,652,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 459,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,965,231.48. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Terrance P. Coyne sold 64,399 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total transaction of $3,476,258.02. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 393,009 shares of company stock worth $21,601,827. Company insiders own 18.84% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Royalty Pharma from $50.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Royalty Pharma from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Royalty Pharma from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings cut Royalty Pharma from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Royalty Pharma from $50.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Royalty Pharma presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.57.

Royalty Pharma Stock Down 0.3%

RPRX stock opened at $59.02 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.99 billion, a PE ratio of 40.15, a P/E/G ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Royalty Pharma PLC has a twelve month low of $34.08 and a twelve month high of $60.44. The stock's 50 day moving average is $56.11 and its 200-day moving average is $49.80.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.08. Royalty Pharma had a return on equity of 29.25% and a net margin of 33.88%.The business had revenue of $630.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $881.69 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Royalty Pharma PLC will post 5.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royalty Pharma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Royalty Pharma's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.95%.

Royalty Pharma Company Profile

Royalty Pharma plc is a specialty finance company that acquires biopharmaceutical royalty interests and provides non-dilutive financing to drug developers and rights holders. The firm purchases future royalty streams, milestone-contingent payments and other revenue rights linked to approved and late-stage pharmaceutical and biotechnology products. By paying upfront consideration for these rights, Royalty Pharma seeks to generate long-term cash flows tied to the commercial performance of a diversified portfolio of medicines.

The company's transaction structures include outright royalty purchases, structured financings and milestone arrangements tailored to the needs of innovator companies, academic institutions and investors.

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