Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 1,987,975 Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Baillie Gifford & Co. trimmed its stake in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,134,516 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 1,987,975 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned 2.40% of Royalty Pharma worth $360,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Royalty Pharma by 417.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,087 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Royalty Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at $230,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 152,783 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 4,427 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 127,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,243,000 after purchasing an additional 25,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 15,963 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 5,551 shares in the last quarter. 54.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Royalty Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Royalty Pharma to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One investment 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $41.67.

Royalty Pharma Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RPRX traded up $0.74 during trading on Thursday, hitting $33.33. 8,300,882 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,448,167. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Royalty Pharma plc has a 52-week low of $24.05 and a 52-week high of $33.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $28.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.85. The company has a market cap of $19.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.49.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Royalty Pharma plc will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. Royalty Pharma's dividend 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.