Analyst Ratings January 30, 2026

UBS Moves Royalty Pharma to Buy, Lifts Price Target After Royalty Deals and Portfolio Additions

Analyst raises long-term growth forecasts and flags portfolio of late-stage assets and recent transactions as key drivers

By Caleb Monroe RPRX
UBS Moves Royalty Pharma to Buy, Lifts Price Target After Royalty Deals and Portfolio Additions
RPRX

UBS upgraded Royalty Pharma from Neutral to Buy and increased its price target to $49.00 from $38.00, citing a strengthened growth profile following recent royalty transactions and portfolio build-out. The firm raised its 2025-2030 revenue and EBITDA CAGR forecasts and pointed to a collection of late-stage drugs and strategic acquisitions as contributors to future royalty streams.

Key Points

  • UBS upgraded Royalty Pharma (RPRX) from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target to $49.00 from $38.00.
  • UBS increased its 2025-2030 revenue and EBITDA CAGR estimates to 8% and 9%, respectively, versus prior projections of 4% and 5%; consensus estimates are 7% and 8%.
  • Royalty Pharma holds royalties on more than 10 late-stage drugs with clinical updates or launches expected in the next 1-2 years, which UBS projects could contribute over $1 billion to peak royalties; the company also reported a record $10 billion royalty funding market in 2025 and maintained a 40% share via $4.7 billion in transactions.

UBS upgraded Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) from Neutral to Buy on Friday and simultaneously lifted its price objective to $49.00 from $38.00. At the time of the report the stock was trading at $40.86, hovering close to its 52-week high of $41.70 and reflecting a one-year gain of 32.6%.

The upgrade follows a series of royalty transactions that UBS described as attractive and accretive to Royalty Pharma’s growth trajectory. On that basis the firm revised its medium-term forecasts and now expects stronger compound annual growth through the second half of this decade.

Specifically, UBS raised its 2025-2030 revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) estimate to 8%, up from a prior 4% projection. The bank also increased its 2025-2030 EBITDA CAGR estimate to 9%, versus a previous 5% outlook. UBS noted that these revised forecasts sit above consensus estimates, which it identified at 7% revenue CAGR and 8% EBITDA CAGR for the same period.

In discussing Royalty Pharma’s positioning, UBS pointed to favorable macro dynamics and the company’s roster of royalty assets. The analyst team observed that the firm’s growth profile looks attractive both in absolute terms and relative to large-cap pharmaceutical peers that are contending with patent expirations and slow pipeline replenishment through business development.

UBS highlighted that Royalty Pharma holds royalty interests on more than 10 late-stage drugs that have expected clinical updates or potential launches in the next one to two years. The analyst noted that those assets could contribute in excess of $1 billion to the company’s peak royalties.

Recent company announcements provide additional context for UBS’s view. Royalty Pharma reported that the royalty funding market reached a record $10 billion in 2025, and that the company maintained roughly a 40% market share through $4.7 billion of transactions. The firm also declared a quarterly dividend increase of 6.8%, raising the payout to $0.235 per Class A ordinary share for the first quarter of 2026.

Royalty Pharma has continued to expand its portfolio through acquisitions. The company acquired the remaining portion of PTC Therapeutics’ royalty on Roche’s spinal muscular atrophy treatment Evrysdi for $240 million upfront, plus potential milestone payments of up to $60 million. That transaction gave Royalty Pharma full ownership of the tiered royalty structure on Evrysdi, which ranges from 8% to 16% of worldwide net sales.

In addition, Royalty Pharma added royalty rights to two oncology therapies, neladalkib and zidesamtinib, in a deal valued at up to $315 million. UBS cited these and other transactions as illustrative of the company’s active participation in the royalty funding market and its ongoing portfolio-building strategy within healthcare.

The UBS upgrade and forecast revisions reflect the firm’s assessment of improved visibility into future royalty cash flows and a bolstered asset base. Investors will weigh the revised growth expectations, the company’s market share in royalty funding, and the recent acquisitions as they consider Royalty Pharma’s valuation and dividend outlook going forward.

Risks

  • Royalty contributions depend on more than 10 late-stage drugs that have anticipated clinical updates or launches in the next 1-2 years, creating reliance on the timing and outcomes of those programs.
  • The company’s performance is tied to conditions in the royalty funding market, which, while reaching a record $10 billion in 2025, may change and affect deal flow and valuation.
  • Recent portfolio concentration from acquisitions - including the full Evrysdi royalty interest and up to $315 million for two cancer therapies - increases exposure to the performance of specific assets.

More from Analyst Ratings

Evercore ISI Sticks with Outperform on Apple, Sets $330 Target Backed by App Store and Services Strength Feb 2, 2026 Deutsche Bank Says AppLovin Risk-Reward Looks Better After Google’s Project Genie Shock Feb 2, 2026 Raymond James Sticks With Market Perform on American Airlines Despite Stronger Guidance and Faster Debt Paydown Feb 2, 2026 Mizuho Sticks with Outperform on Robinhood as UK ISA Launch Seen as Growth Lever Feb 2, 2026 Freedom Capital Lifts Caterpillar Price Target to $700 but Keeps Hold Rating Feb 2, 2026