Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRXGet Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 2,751 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 532% compared to the typical daily volume of 435 call options.

Royalty Pharma Stock Up 0.1 %

RPRX stock opened at $30.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.05 and a 200-day moving average of $27.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. Royalty Pharma has a one year low of $24.05 and a one year high of $31.66.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. This is an increase from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on RPRX. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Royalty Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $41.67.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on RPRX

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royalty Pharma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Royalty Pharma by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,460,515 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $40,705,000 after buying an additional 70,130 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 171.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 101,500 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,777,000 after acquiring an additional 64,057 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in Royalty Pharma in the third quarter valued at $735,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of Royalty Pharma by 44.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,033,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $85,809,000 after purchasing an additional 936,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New South Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. New South Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,466,371 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $69,774,000 after purchasing an additional 117,394 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.35% of the company’s stock.

Royalty Pharma Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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