Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $251.50.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RGLD. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Royal Gold in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Royal Gold from $261.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Royal Gold in a research note on Sunday, December 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Royal Gold in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Royal Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Insider Activity at Royal Gold

In other news, Director William M. Hayes sold 4,173 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.07, for a total value of $1,156,213.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,698,162.03. This trade represents a 40.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Daniel Breeze sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.87, for a total value of $421,218.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 20,140 shares in the company, valued at $6,059,521.80. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Gold

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of RGLD. Prospera Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Royal Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,068,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. increased its stake in Royal Gold by 275.8% in the third quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 6,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 4,885 shares during the period. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new position in Royal Gold in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,397,000. Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in Royal Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $16,636,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its position in shares of Royal Gold by 576.4% during the 3rd quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 35,119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,044,000 after acquiring an additional 29,927 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

Royal Gold Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Royal Gold stock opened at $276.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.12, a quick ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Royal Gold has a twelve month low of $148.25 and a twelve month high of $306.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.45 billion, a PE ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $267.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.90.

Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by ($0.76). Royal Gold had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 45.26%.The firm had revenue of $360.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.47 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 85.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Royal Gold will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Gold Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Gold’s payout ratio is 27.90%.

Royal Gold Company Profile

Royal Gold, Inc, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a leading precious metals streaming and royalty company. Through its business model, Royal Gold provides upfront financing to mining operators in exchange for the right to purchase a percentage of future metal production at predetermined prices. This structure allows the company to participate in production upside while minimizing exposure to the operating and capital-intensive aspects of mine ownership.

The company’s portfolio encompasses interests in over 200 streams and royalties on projects across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia.