MetLife Investment Management LLC Raises Position in Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,089 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Royal Gold worth $4,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Gold during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Gold in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Royal Gold by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 368 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Royal Gold by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 395 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Human Investing LLC bought a new position in Royal Gold in the fourth quarter worth approximately $73,000. Institutional investors own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

Royal Gold Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of Royal Gold stock opened at $183.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.77. Royal Gold, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.61 and a 52 week high of $191.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $161.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.14.

Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.17. Royal Gold had a return on equity of 11.46% and a net margin of 46.15%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Royal Gold, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Gold Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Royal Gold’s payout ratio is 35.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RGLD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James upped their price target on Royal Gold from $181.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Royal Gold from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Royal Gold from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $154.00 to $178.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Royal Gold from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $166.00 to $189.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Royal Gold in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $196.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.00.

Insider Activity at Royal Gold

In related news, SVP Randy Shefman sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.98, for a total transaction of $201,474.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,450,612.80. This trade represents a 12.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Royal Gold

Royal Gold, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, acquires and manages precious metal streams, royalties, and related interests. The company engages in acquiring stream and royalty interests or to finance projects that are in production, development, or in the exploration stage in exchange for stream or royalty interests, which primarily consists of gold, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, lead, and other metals.