Royal Gold (RGLD) will raise its quarterly dividend by 4.5 percent to $0.23 per share in 2015. This marks the 15th straight year of higher dividend payments by Royal Gold.

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 properties on multiple continents, including interests on producing mines and development stage projects. A royalty is a non-operating interest in a mining project that provides the right to revenue or metals produced from the project after deducting contractually specified costs, if any. The company originally began in 1981 as Royal Resources Corporation, an oil and gas exploration and production company. Royal Gold began operating in 1986.