Heartland Advisors Inc. Invests $3.41 Million in Royalty Pharma PLC $RPRX

Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Royalty Pharma PLC (NASDAQ:RPRX) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 96,553 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,406,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 18,591 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $656,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Royalty Pharma by 9.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,306 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Royalty Pharma by 3.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,149 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH grew its stake in Royalty Pharma by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 33,139 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,194,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,793 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. 54.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royalty Pharma Price Performance

Shares of Royalty Pharma stock opened at $45.41 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.40 and a quick ratio of 2.40. Royalty Pharma PLC has a one year low of $29.66 and a one year high of $46.14. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.64 and a beta of 0.42.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.13. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 28.21%. The firm had revenue of $621.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.97 million. Analysts forecast that Royalty Pharma PLC will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RPRX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Royalty Pharma from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group upgraded Royalty Pharma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Royalty Pharma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Leerink Partners set a $45.00 target price on Royalty Pharma in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.67.

Insider Activity

In other Royalty Pharma news, CFO Terrance P. Coyne sold 114,954 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.84, for a total value of $4,924,629.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 23,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,026,960.48. This trade represents a 82.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP George W. Lloyd sold 110,000 shares of Royalty Pharma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.77, for a total value of $4,374,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,374,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,034,602 shares of company stock valued at $41,353,043. Insiders own 18.90% of the company’s stock.

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.