River Road Asset Management LLC Sells 70,657 Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

River Road Asset Management LLC decreased its position in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 399,323 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 70,657 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $10,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RPRX. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1,006.9% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 963 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 876 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Royalty Pharma by 417.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,087 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co raised its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 3,953.3% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,186 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 187.1% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Royalty Pharma by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,579 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. 54.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, TD Cowen upgraded Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of RPRX opened at $32.46 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.47. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $24.05 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.47.

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

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.69%.

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.