royal gold is a precious metals stream and royalty company engaged in the acquisition and management of precious metal streams, royalties and similar production based interests. the company owns interests on 193 properties on six continents, including interests on 38 producing mines and 24 development stage projects. royal gold is publicly traded on the nasdaq global select market under the symbol “rgld.” the company’s stream and royalty portfolio provides investors with a unique opportunity to capture value in the precious metals sector without incurring many of the risks associated with mine operations such as capital costs, operating costs, and environmental liabilities. royal gold owns a large portfolio of active, developing and exploration style royalties located in some of the world’s most prolific gold regions. with the exception of one exploration joint venture, the company does not have to contribute to exploration costs, exploration successes by the operators of the royalty p