Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Sells 103,816 Shares of Royal Gold, Inc. $RGLD

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) by 75.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 103,816 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Royal Gold were worth $8,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of RGLD. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Gold in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Royal Gold by 8,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in Royal Gold in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Royal Gold by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Royal Gold during the third quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Daniel Breeze sold 1,400 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 20,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,059,521.80. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William M. Hayes sold 4,173 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.07, for a total transaction of $1,156,213.11. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,698,162.03. This represents a 40.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,573 shares of company stock worth $2,127,091. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Royal Gold Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RGLD opened at $237.54 on Friday. Royal Gold, Inc. has a 12-month low of $150.75 and a 12-month high of $306.25. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $270.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $226.87. The firm has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 34.88, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.48. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by ($0.76). The business had revenue of $360.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.47 million. Royal Gold had a net margin of 45.26% and a return on equity of 11.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 85.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Gold, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Gold Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Royal Gold’s payout ratio is currently 27.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Royal Gold in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank downgraded Royal Gold from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research cut Royal Gold from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Royal Gold in a report on Sunday, December 7th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Royal Gold in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $251.50.

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.