Sciencast Management LP Makes New $998,000 Investment in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 39,132 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $998,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in RPRX. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,136,800 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 58.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,001,603 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $84,915,000 after buying an additional 1,103,341 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 44.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,033,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $85,809,000 after buying an additional 936,900 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma in the fourth quarter worth $19,990,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma in the third quarter worth $14,898,000. 54.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, TD Cowen raised shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of RPRX stock opened at $33.70 on Friday. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $24.05 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The stock has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.47. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.72.

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

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Royalty Pharma’s payout ratio is presently 60.69%.

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.