Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $8.17 Million Stake in Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) by 271.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 61,938 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,258 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Royal Gold were worth $8,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RGLD. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Gold in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,427,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Royal Gold in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,998,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Royal Gold by 187.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 127,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,049,000 after buying an additional 83,015 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Royal Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,246,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in Royal Gold by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 178,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,074,000 after buying an additional 46,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.65% of the company’s stock.

Royal Gold Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:RGLD opened at $157.01 on Friday. Royal Gold, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.01 and a 1-year high of $158.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50 day moving average is $146.33 and its 200-day moving average is $143.89.

Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) (TSE:RGL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.17. Royal Gold had a return on equity of 11.46% and a net margin of 46.15%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Royal Gold, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Royal Gold Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Royal Gold’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group raised Royal Gold from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $154.00 to $178.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $168.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Randy Shefman sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.98, for a total transaction of $201,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,360 shares in the company, valued at $1,450,612.80. This trade represents a 12.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Gold Company Profile

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.