Aviva PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 1,522.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 229,069 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 214,946 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC's holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $5,844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Royalty Pharma by 29.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 70,120 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,789,000 after purchasing an additional 15,790 shares during the period. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Royalty Pharma during the 4th quarter worth about $390,000. Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 220.1% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 119,443 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,047,000 after purchasing an additional 82,125 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at $3,663,000. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. 54.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royalty Pharma Price Performance

Shares of RPRX traded down $0.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $32.29. 501,288 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,231,341. Royalty Pharma plc has a 52-week low of $24.05 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a market cap of $18.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on RPRX shares. TD Cowen raised shares of Royalty Pharma to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Royalty Pharma in a research report on Friday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $42.50.

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.