Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ:RPRX) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 4,706,208 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the previous session’s volume of 4,152,292 shares.The stock last traded at $31.69 and had previously closed at $31.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RPRX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Royalty Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Royalty Pharma from $60.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Royalty Pharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Royalty Pharma currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.67.

Royalty Pharma Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $18.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.47. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Royalty Pharma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. Royalty Pharma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,579 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 1.0% during the third quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 50,441 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 7.6% during the third quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 10,412 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Royalty Pharma by 4.3% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,749 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. 54.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.