Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Royalty Pharma Put Options (NASDAQ:RPRX)

Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 4,237 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 344% compared to the typical daily volume of 954 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, TD Cowen upgraded Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.60.

Royalty Pharma Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of RPRX traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $31.43. 3,108,475 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,899,845. Royalty Pharma has a 12-month low of $24.05 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $32.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.80. The firm has a market cap of $18.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.16. Royalty Pharma had a net margin of 37.94% and a return on equity of 24.40%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Royalty Pharma will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Royalty Pharma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Royalty Pharma’s payout ratio is currently 60.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Royalty Pharma by 1,006.9% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 963 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Royalty Pharma by 417.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,087 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 3,953.3% in the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 1,216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,186 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Royalty Pharma by 187.1% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royalty Pharma by 160.5% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,628 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,003 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.35% 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.