Kearns & Associates LLC Buys New Shares in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Kearns & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 17,685 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,000. Royalty Pharma accounts for approximately 0.3% of Kearns & Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RPRX. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 12,164,170 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $310,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136,800 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 0.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,516,262 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $269,215,000 after purchasing an additional 29,451 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 6.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,265,786 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $205,562,000 after purchasing an additional 417,490 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 44.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,033,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $85,809,000 after purchasing an additional 936,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 58.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,001,603 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $84,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103,341 shares during the period. 54.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on RPRX shares. TD Cowen upgraded 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 lowered their target price on shares of Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.67.

Royalty Pharma Price Performance

Shares of RPRX stock opened at $31.95 on Thursday. Royalty Pharma plc has a 52 week low of $24.05 and a 52 week high of $32.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.55 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.01 and its 200-day moving average is $27.44.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.52%.

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.