Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lowered Royal Gold from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Royal Gold in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Royal Gold in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Royal Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.00.

Royal Gold Price Performance

NASDAQ:RGLD opened at $270.00 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $266.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.66. The firm has a market cap of $22.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.65, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.55. Royal Gold has a 52-week low of $150.75 and a 52-week high of $306.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.91, a current ratio of 3.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $310.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.47 million. Royal Gold had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 45.26%.Royal Gold’s revenue was up 85.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Royal Gold will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Gold Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William M. Hayes sold 4,173 shares of Royal Gold stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.07, for a total value of $1,156,213.11. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Daniel Breeze sold 1,400 shares of Royal Gold stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.87, for a total value of $421,218.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,573 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,091. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Gold

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Royal Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new position in Royal Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Royal Gold in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Royal Gold during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Royal Gold during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

About Royal Gold

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.