Looking for Gold (Royal Gold inc)

12/14/2018
Royal Gold Inc NASDAQ: RGLD

If inflation pressures continue or a downturn occurs before the heat death of the universe some allocation in gold will be useful.  General guidance is 5 to 7%, the question is should RGLD be part of that allocation.  In a weird business model, RGLD is a gold and silver "streaming" company which provides cash to miners upfront to secure reduced rates in the future.

Price at write-up $75.62

Indexes (30, 180 day looks)
VIX: 21.59 (7.84%, 74%)
TED: 40.71
S&P500: 2605 (2605, 2904) -1.7%/-10.3%


Valuation Ratios
Price/Earnings (TTM)Neg
Price/Sales (TTM)11.67
Earnings per share-1.47
Price/Book (MRQ)2.47
Price/Cash Flow (TTM)82.29
Held by institutions78.77%
Short interest2.98%
Dividend1.33%
MarketCap5.0B

Target: $83

Over 200 mines under contract without getting its hands dirty.  RGLD's share price doesn't rise in lockstep with the price of gold, but it does bottom with it - unusual for streamers which are currently suffering far greater losses.

My Thoughts
It's currently performing poorly with declining EPS.  RGLD paid off 40%of its debt which one would think would help with the operating yield but this just seems to stick at between 1-2%.  More than an 80% margin on the gold sold, bought from miners at a tremendous discount, no equipment risk, or need to factor in the cost to mine - it sounds great...

Conclusion
But they aren't making much on it.  The upfront cash flow provided to the miners is apparently such that they can be a middleman of little consequence, serving a valuable function in the market which is agnostic to their existence.  RGLD is the back door of a commodity business, acceptable with a track record of moderately yielding dividends.  At 1.33% with considerable downside risk to the principle is too great while the upside potential isn't particularly impressive for that risk.  A $100 in a 3% 2 year CD is probably more valuable.

Due Diligence - BTG, FNV, GLD, IAU.