Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 25,640 Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 127,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 25,640 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $3,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,579 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel lifted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 50,441 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 10,412 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 4.3% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,749 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on RPRX shares. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com raised Royalty Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.67.

Royalty Pharma Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of RPRX stock opened at $32.59 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $24.05 and a 12 month high of $32.92. The stock has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.85.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Royalty Pharma’s payout ratio is presently 57.93%.

About Royalty Pharma

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.