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Royalty Pharma (RPRX) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q1, 2026
Risk Change Over Time
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1The Manager's liability is limited under the Management Agreement, and we have agreed to indemnify the Manager against certain liabilities. As a result, we could experience unfavorable operating results or incur losses for which the Manager would not be liable.
The Manager does not assume any responsibility other than to render the services called for under the Management Agreement. The Manager and its affiliates (including RPI EPA Holdings, LP) and their respective officers, directors, equity holders, members, employees, agents and partners, and any other person who is entitled to indemnification (each, an "Indemnitee") is not liable to us, any subsidiary of ours, our directors, our shareholders or any subsidiary's shareholders or partners for acts or omissions performed in accordance with to the Management Agreement, except those resulting from acts constituting fraud, bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence (as interpreted under New York law) and a material breach of the Management Agreement that is not cured or a violation of applicable securities laws. In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we have agreed to indemnify the Indemnitees from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, penalties, actions, judgments, costs and expenses (including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromises and settlements, as fines and penalties and legal or other costs and reasonable expenses of investigating or defending against any claim or alleged claim) of any nature whatsoever, known or unknown, liquidated or unliquidated that are incurred by any Indemnitee or to which such Indemnitee may be subject by reason of its activities on behalf of us or any of our subsidiaries to the extent that such Indemnitee's conduct did not constitute fraud, bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence (as interpreted under New York law), material breach of the Management Agreement that is not cured or a violation of applicable securities laws. As a result, we could experience unfavorable operating results or incur losses for which the Manager would not be liable.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2The Share Consideration in connection with the Internalization, and future sales of our Class A ordinary shares by the Sellers may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
The issuance of 24,530,266 non-voting Class E ordinary shares of RP Holdings (the "Share Consideration"), which may, upon vesting and redesignation as Class B ordinary shares of RP Holdings, that may be exchanged for our Class A ordinary shares in connection with the Internalization would have a dilutive effect and reduce the voting power and relative percentage interests of current Class A ordinary shareholders in our earnings and market value. The Share Consideration received by Mr. Legorreta is subject to vesting on a straight-line basis annually over five years and the Share Consideration received by certain executives of the Manager, other than Mr. Legorreta, are subject to vesting on a straight-line basis monthly over nine years, with vesting to commence effective January 1, 2025. If the Share Consideration in the Internalization vests, it would have a dilutive effect on our Class A ordinary shares. When recipients of the vested Share Consideration exchange part or all of it for our Class A ordinary shares, such exchanges would reduce the voting power and relative percentage interests of current Class A ordinary shareholders. Future sales of our Class A ordinary shares by the Sellers may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. These sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and price we deem appropriate.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Certain of our officers and directors have interests in the Internalization that are different from, and may potentially conflict with, the interests of us and our shareholders.
The Internalization was negotiated between the Manager, which is controlled by Mr. Legorreta and is the employer of our officers, and the Company's independent and disinterested directors. As a result, those officers and directors may have different interests from the Company as a whole. This potential conflict would not exist in the case of a transaction negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. Moreover, if the Manager or any Seller breaches any of the representations, warranties or covenants made by in the Purchase Agreement, we may choose not to enforce, or to enforce less vigorously, our rights because of our desire to maintain our ongoing relationship with the Sellers and the interests of certain of our directors and officers. Moreover, the representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities in the Purchase Agreement are subject to limitations and qualifiers, which may also limit our ability to enforce any remedy under the Purchase Agreement. Certain of our directors and officers have interests in the Internalization that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our shareholders generally and that may create potential conflicts of interest, including the payment of consideration in connection with the Internalization directly or indirectly to certain of these individuals, including Mr. Legorreta. Additionally, members of the Board and certain executives of the Manager have entered into voting agreements pursuant to which such individuals agreed to vote their shares (subject to certain exceptions) in favor of the transaction at the shareholder meeting. The respective roles of these executives in the Manager may create additional conflicts of interest in respect of the Internalization.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4We may be exposed to risks to which we have not historically been exposed, including liabilities with respect to the assets acquired from the Manager.
The Internalization may expose us to risks to which we have not historically been exposed. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we expect to incur liabilities with respect to the assets acquired from the Manager and certain of its affiliates. In addition, our overhead will increase as a result of our becoming internally managed, as the responsibility for overhead relating to management of our business borne by the Manager will become our own responsibility. As an externally-managed company, we do not directly employ any employees. If the Internalization is approved by shareholders, we would employ persons who were associated with the Manager and its affiliates. As their employer, we would be subject to those potential liabilities that are commonly faced by employers, such as workers' disability and compensation claims, potential labor disputes and other employee-related liabilities and grievances, and we would bear the costs of the establishment and maintenance of employee benefit plans, if established. There are no assurances that these employees would be able to provide us with the same level of services provided to us by the Manager, and there may be other unforeseen costs, expenses and difficulties associated with operating as an internally managed company.
- Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5The Manager may be the subject of a change of control resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
There could be a change of control of the Manager and, in such a case, the new controlling party may have a different philosophy, employ less experienced advisory professionals, be unsuccessful in identifying royalty acquisition opportunities or have a track record that is not as successful as that of the Manager. If the foregoing were to occur, we could experience difficulty in making new asset acquisitions, and the value of our existing assets, our business, financial condition or results of operations could materially suffer.
- Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 6The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management's attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the requirements of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), and the requirements of the U.K. Companies Act and, if applicable, the Takeover Code. The requirements of these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources. We are obligated to file with the SEC annual and quarterly information and other reports that are specified in the Exchange Act, and therefore will need to have the ability to prepare financial statements that are compliant with all SEC reporting requirements on a timely basis. In addition, we are subject to other reporting and corporate governance requirements, including certain requirements of Nasdaq and certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, which will impose significant compliance obligations upon us. We are required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires management assessments of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately and to prepare financial statements within required time periods could be adversely affected, which could subject us to regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements, restrict access to capital markets and adversely impact the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. Our compliance with the requirements under the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the U.K. Companies Act and, if applicable, the Takeover Code and the rules and regulations thereunder increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more time consuming and costly. These rules and regulations have made it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain directors' and officers' liability insurance, and we may in the future be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We may not be able to predict or estimate accurately the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
Risk Highlights Q1, 2026
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 58
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1If our Class A ordinary shares are not eligible for continued deposit and clearing within the facilities of DTC, then transactions in our securities may be disrupted.
The facilities of The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") are a widely-used mechanism that allow for rapid electronic transfers of securities between the participants in the DTC system, which include many banks and brokerage firms. While our Class A ordinary shares are eligible for deposit and clearing within the DTC system, DTC has discretion to cease to act as a depository and clearing agency for our Class A ordinary shares, including to the extent that any changes in U.K. law change the stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax position in relation to the Class A ordinary shares. If DTC determined that the Class A ordinary shares were not eligible for continued deposit and clearance within its facilities, our Class A ordinary shares may not be eligible for continued listing on the NASDAQ and trading in the Class A ordinary shares would be disrupted. While we would pursue alternative arrangements to preserve our listing and maintain trading, any such disruption could adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and our access to the capital markets.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2As an English public limited company, certain capital structure decisions will require shareholder approval, which may limit our flexibility to manage our capital structure.
We are a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. English law provides that a board of directors may only allot shares (or rights to subscribe for or convert into shares) with the prior authorization of shareholders, such authorization stating the aggregate nominal amount of shares that it covers and valid for a maximum period of five years, each as specified in the articles of association or relevant shareholder resolution. We obtained shareholder authority to allot additional shares until the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, August 12, 2026, the date that is 15 months after May 12, 2025. We intend to seek renewal of this authorization at each year's annual general meeting of shareholders. English law also generally provides shareholders with preemptive rights when new shares are issued for cash. However, it is possible for the articles of association, or for shareholders to pass a special resolution at a general meeting, being a resolution passed by at least 75% of the votes cast, to disapply preemptive rights. Such a disapplication of preemptive rights may be for a maximum period of up to five years from the date of adoption of the articles of association, if the disapplication is contained in the articles of association, or from the date of the shareholder special resolution, if the disapplication is by shareholder special resolution. In either case, this disapplication would need to be renewed by our shareholders upon its expiration (i.e., at least every five years). We have obtained authority from our shareholders to disapply preemptive rights until the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, August 12, 2026, which is the date that is 15 months after May 12, 2025, which disapplication will need to be renewed upon expiration to remain effective, but may be sought more frequently for additional five-year terms (or any shorter period). We intend to seek renewal of this authorization at each year's annual general meeting of shareholders. English law prohibits us from repurchasing our shares by way of "off market purchases" without the prior approval of shareholders by ordinary resolution (i.e., majority of votes cast by our shareholders), and other formalities. Such approval may be for a maximum period of up to five years but may be sought more frequently. English law prohibits us from conducting "on market purchases" as our shares are listed on the NASDAQ and will not be traded on a recognized investment exchange in the United Kingdom. Our shareholders approved the authorization of certain "off market purchases" that will expire five years from May 12, 2025 unless renewed by our shareholders prior to the expiration date. We cannot assure shareholders that situations will not arise where such shareholder approval requirements for any of these actions would deprive our shareholders of substantial capital management benefits.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation.
We are incorporated under English law. The rights of our shareholders are governed by English law, including the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (the "U.K. Companies Act"), and by our Articles of Association. These rights differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. The U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Takeover Code") applies, among other things, to an offer for a public company whose registered office is in the United Kingdom (and the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and whose securities are not admitted to trading on a regulated market in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) if the company is considered by the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Takeover Panel") to have its place of central management and control in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man). This is known as the "residency test." Under the Takeover Code, the Takeover Panel will determine whether we have our place of central management and control in the United Kingdom by looking at various factors, including the structure of our board of directors, the functions of the directors and where they are resident. Given that our central management and control is situated outside the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man), we do not anticipate that we will be subject to the Takeover Code. However, if at the time of a takeover offer, the Takeover Panel determines that we have our place of central management and control in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man), we would be subject to a number of rules and restrictions, including but not limited to the following: (i) our ability to enter into deal protection arrangements with a bidder would be extremely limited; (ii) we might not, without the approval of our shareholders, be able to perform certain actions that could have the effect of frustrating an offer, such as issuing shares or carrying out acquisitions or disposals; and (iii) we would be obliged to provide equality of information to all bona fide competing bidders. As a result of updates to the Takeover Code, any change in our place of central management and control will cease to be relevant after February 2, 2027, and therefore, on the assumption that our securities remain admitted to trading on the NASDAQ (or another regulated market outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man), the Takeover Code will not be applicable to us. Under English law, and whether or not we are subject to the Takeover Code, an offeror for us that has acquired (i) 90% in value of; and (ii) 90% of the voting rights carried by the shares to which the offer relates may exercise statutory squeeze-out rights to compulsorily acquire the shares of the non-assenting minority. However, if an offer for us is conducted by way of a scheme of arrangement the threshold for the offeror obtaining 100% of Company shares comprises two components (i) approval by a majority in number of each class of Company shareholders present and voting at the shareholder meeting; and (ii) approval of Company shareholders representing 75% or more in value of each class of Company shareholders present and voting at that meeting.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4U.S. investors may have difficulty enforcing civil liabilities against our company, our directors or members of senior management.
We are a public limited company with our registered office in England and our subsidiaries are incorporated in various jurisdictions, including jurisdictions outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws or otherwise. Even if shareholders are successful in bringing civil action against us, our directors or executive officers, the laws of England may render shareholders unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and executive officers. In addition, it is doubtful whether English courts would enforce certain civil liabilities under U.S. securities laws in original actions or judgments of U.S. courts based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities laws or otherwise. In addition, awards of punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in the United Kingdom. An award for monetary damages under the U.S. securities laws would likely be considered punitive if it does not seek to compensate the claimant for loss or damage suffered and is intended to punish the defendant. The enforceability of any judgment in the United Kingdom will depend on the particular facts of the case as well as the laws and treaties in effect at the time. The United States and the United Kingdom do not currently have a treaty providing for recognition and enforcement of judgments (other than arbitration awards) in civil and commercial matters. As a result of the above, shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interest through actions against our management, directors or other shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. public company.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Our Articles of Association provide that the courts of England and Wales will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of all shareholder complaints other than complaints asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and that the U.S. federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any shareholder complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
Our Articles of Association provide that the courts of England and Wales will be the exclusive forum for resolving all shareholder complaints other than shareholder complaints asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and that the U.S. federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for resolving any shareholder complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. This choice of forum provision may limit a shareholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such shareholder finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits. If a court were to find either choice of forum provision contained in our Articles of Association to be inapplicable or unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6The market price of our Class A ordinary shares has been and may in the future be volatile, which could cause the value of our shareholders' investment to decline.
The market price of our Class A ordinary shares has been and may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the per share trading price of our Class A ordinary shares ranged from a low of $25.75 to a high of $40.78. Market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, particularly those that relate to the biopharmaceutical industry, could reduce the market price of our Class A ordinary shares regardless of our operating performance. In addition to the other factors discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our operating results could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including: - market conditions in the broader stock market in general, or in our industry in particular;- variations in our quarterly operating results or dividends to shareholders or share repurchases or exchanges for our Class A ordinary shares;- future sales of our Class A ordinary shares by our affiliates;- additions or departures of key management personnel;- timing and rate of capital deployment, including relative to estimates;- changes in our portfolio mix or acquisition strategy;- failure to meet analysts' earnings estimates;- analyst or media reports or other adverse publicity about us, our industry or related sectors;- third-party healthcare reimbursement policies and practices;- litigation and government investigations;- changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof;- results, or projected results, from marketers of products that generate our royalties;- results from, and any delays to, the clinical trial programs of development-stage product candidates underlying our biopharmaceutical assets or other issues relating to such products, including regulatory approval or commercialization;- adverse market reaction to any indebtedness that we may incur or securities we may issue in the future;- changes in market valuations of similar companies or speculation in the press or investment community;- announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments; and - economic or political developments, such as pandemics, inflation and interest rate volatility and geopolitical conflicts. These and other factors may cause significant fluctuations in the market price or trading volume of our Class A ordinary shares, which may limit our shareholders' ability to sell their Class A ordinary shares at prices they consider satisfactory or at all. Stock markets from time to time experience extreme price and volume volatility, including in recent periods. Following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against public companies. If such litigation is instituted against us, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management's attention and resources.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7Corporate responsibility matters and any related reporting obligations may impact our business.
U.S. and international regulators, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on corporate responsibility matters, including human capital management, human rights, sustainability and climate-related matters. The legal and regulatory landscape governing these topics includes multiple, potentially overlapping reporting regimes and standards, which may require us to expand our data collection, controls, governance, disclosure processes and external reporting. These developments could increase our compliance costs, require significant management time and attention and expose us to enhanced regulatory, litigation and enforcement risk. In addition, we have announced several corporate responsibility initiatives and goals and there is no assurance that we will achieve any of these goals or that our initiatives will achieve their intended outcomes. Perceptions of our efforts to achieve these goals often differ widely and present risks to our reputation. Any harm to our reputation resulting from our focus on corporate responsibility matters and goals or our failure or perceived failure to meet such goals could impact employee retention, the willingness of our partners to do business with us, or investors' willingness to purchase or hold our ordinary shares, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our ability to implement some initiatives or achieve some goals is dependent on external factors, including third-party collaboration or the availability of economically feasible solutions.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Equity Performance Awards may create incentives that are not fully aligned with the interests of our shareholders.
Subject to certain conditions, at the end of each fiscal quarter, Mr. Legorreta and certain employees are entitled to a distribution in the form of equity from RP Holdings in respect of each portfolio equal to 20% of the Net Economic Profit (defined as the aggregate cash receipts for all new portfolio investments in such portfolio less Total Expenses (defined as interest expense, operating expense and recovery of acquisition cost in respect of such portfolio)) for such portfolio for the applicable measuring period (the "Equity Performance Awards"). The right to Equity Performance Awards may create an incentive to make riskier or more speculative asset acquisitions. In addition, we may incur more debt, finance additional asset acquisitions or otherwise use more leverage in connection with asset acquisitions, as generally the use of leverage can increase the rate of return on an investment and therefore our profits. Under certain circumstances, the use of borrowed money may pose higher risks for our business or increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor our shareholders. In addition, there is no correlation between our profits and the obligation of our board of directors to pay dividends to shareholders. Consequently, shareholders may receive limited or no dividends while Mr. Legorreta and certain employees remain entitled to Equity Performance Awards that may be substantial. Further, even though Equity Performance Awards are payable on a portfolio-by-portfolio basis (with portfolios comprised of investments made during sequential two-year periods) in order to reduce the risks that we will pay Equity Performance Awards on individual investments even though our overall portfolio of investments is not performing well, Equity Performance Awards may nevertheless be payable when our overall portfolio of investments is not performing as well as the individual portfolios that are used as the basis for measuring the Equity Performance Awards.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9There can be no assurance that the policies and procedures we have established to mitigate conflicts of interest will be effective.
There could be conflicts of interest between us and our personnel. Every senior executive is subject to a non-compete agreement that is effective for 18 months following termination of their employment for any reason. In addition, executives must devote substantially all of their time to us, unless otherwise approved by the board of directors. Despite this, the ability of our officers and employees to engage in other business activities may reduce the amount of time they spend working for us. For instance, Mr. Legorreta, our Chief Executive Officer, is also a co-founder of and has significant influence over Pharmakon Advisors, which manages BioPharma Credit PLC (LSE: BPCR) and other investment vehicles that collectively are leading providers of debt capital to the biopharmaceutical industry and he has a substantial investment in BioPharma Credit. In addition, Mr. Legorreta serves as the chairperson of ProKidney Corp.'s board of directors and he participates in foundations that receive and provide medical research funding. Even though he is involved with the companies and the foundations described above, among other organizations, Mr. Legorreta does not have any material constraints on the time he has available to devote to us. While Pharmakon may pursue similar investment opportunities, we believe that actual conflicts of interest are rare due to differing investment strategies, and the fact that royalty holders determine the type of transaction they seek. Under arrangements with Pharmakon, we may provide research, business development, legal, compliance, financial and administrative services to one another, and each party reimburses the other to the extent it provides materially more services than it receives.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10The royalty market may not grow at the same rate as it has in the past, or at all, and we may not be able to acquire sufficient royalties to sustain the growth of our business.
We have historically grown our business by primarily acquiring royalties. However, we may not be able to identify and acquire a sufficient number of royalties, or royalties of sufficient scale, to invest the capital available to us at our targeted rate of capital deployment, which could prevent us from executing our growth strategy and negatively impact our business. Changes in the royalty market, including its structure, participants, growth rate, changes in preferred methods of financing and capital raising in the biopharmaceutical industry, or a reduction in the growth of the biopharmaceutical industry, could lead to diminished opportunities for us to acquire royalties, fewer royalties (or fewer royalties of significant scale) being available, or increased competition for royalties. Even if we continue to acquire royalties, they generally will not generate a meaningful return for several years, if at all, due to transaction structures, circumstances relating to the underlying products or other factors. As a result, we may not be able to continue to acquire royalties or otherwise grow our business as we have in the past, or at all.
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