Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Royalty Pharma from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Royalty Pharma from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royalty Pharma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.25.

Royalty Pharma Stock Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ:RPRX traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $30.27. 1,591,044 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,745,360. Royalty Pharma has a 12-month low of $25.92 and a 12-month high of $38.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 7.90 and a current ratio of 7.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.45.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $736.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $702.90 million. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 48.22% and a return on equity of 26.93%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Royalty Pharma will post 3.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Royalty Pharma

In other news, Director Rory B. Riggs sold 235,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.52, for a total value of $6,707,904.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 254,899 shares in the company, valued at $7,269,719.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Avara Management Ltd sold 41,729 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.01, for a total transaction of $1,168,829.29. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,753,186 shares in the company, valued at $77,116,739.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rory B. Riggs sold 235,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.52, for a total transaction of $6,707,904.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 254,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,269,719.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 312,631 shares of company stock worth $8,860,323 over the last 90 days. 18.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Royalty Pharma

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,947 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 5,438 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 13,888 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 4,611 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 40,558 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after buying an additional 2,656 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 21,360 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 1,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 169,696 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,767,000 after buying an additional 16,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.03% of the company’s stock.

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.