NFJ Investment Group LLC Makes New $50.82 Million Investment in Royal Gold, Inc. $RGLD

NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 228,607 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,817,000. Royal Gold comprises about 1.8% of NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Royal Gold by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 3,412 shares during the last quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. bought a new position in shares of Royal Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $2,362,000. DE Burlo Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $200,000. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $4,358,000. Finally, Eschler Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Royal Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $517,000. Institutional investors own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Royal Gold news, SVP Randy Shefman sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.74, for a total value of $243,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,213,646.68. This represents a 9.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Royal Gold Stock Performance

Shares of RGLD opened at $207.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $237.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.62 billion, a PE ratio of 24.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 3.26, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Royal Gold, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.75 and a 52-week high of $306.25.

Royal Gold Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. Royal Gold’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Royal Gold from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Royal Gold from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. National Bank Financial lowered their price target on shares of Royal Gold from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $325.00 price target on shares of Royal Gold and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.70.

Royal Gold 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.