Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 650,834 Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,590,450 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 650,834 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 2.94% of Royalty Pharma worth $494,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RPRX. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Royalty Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at about $210,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 1,129.5% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 75,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,107,000 after acquiring an additional 68,900 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,898 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,497,000 after acquiring an additional 8,908 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,684 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the period. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 52.2% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 5,656 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939 shares during the period. 54.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Royalty Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Royalty Pharma from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Royalty Pharma from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.67.

Royalty Pharma Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ RPRX traded up $0.48 on Tuesday, hitting $29.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,886,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,672,047. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12-month low of $25.92 and a 12-month high of $36.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.45. The company has a quick ratio of 7.90, a current ratio of 7.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.12. Royalty Pharma had a return on equity of 26.93% and a net margin of 48.22%. The company had revenue of $736.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $702.90 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Royalty Pharma plc will post 3.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. This is an increase from Royalty Pharma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Royalty Pharma's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

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.