Van ECK Associates Corp Has $3.24 Million Holdings in Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX - Free Report) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,640 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Royalty Pharma were worth $3,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RPRX. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 31.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 1.0% in the third 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 31.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 7.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Royalty Pharma by 4.3% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,749 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. 54.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royalty Pharma Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Royalty Pharma stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $33.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,620,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,515,927. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.93. 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 plc has a 1-year low of $24.05 and a 1-year high of $33.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 2.31 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 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma's payout ratio is currently 57.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RPRX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Royalty Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Royalty Pharma to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $41.60.

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.