Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,958,302 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 142,176 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.33% of Royalty Pharma worth $49,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RPRX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Royalty Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $124,498,000. Swedbank AB boosted its position 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. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Royalty Pharma in the 4th quarter worth about $19,990,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Royalty Pharma in the third quarter valued at approximately $14,898,000. Institutional investors own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on RPRX shares. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of RPRX opened at $31.37 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.85. Royalty Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $24.05 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, 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.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.16. Royalty Pharma had a return on equity of 24.40% and a net margin of 37.94%. As a group, analysts predict that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. This is an increase from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.69%.

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.