Royal Gold

In the 1980s, the company was named Royal Resources, Inc., and was an oil-exploration company. In 1986, H. Stanley Dempsey, a board member of the public company, transformed the company into a gold mining company and renamed the company Royal Gold, Inc. Dempsey served as Royal Gold's chief executive officer through 2006, as its executive chairman through 2008, and its non-executive chairman through 2014. Dempsey was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame in 2016.2010 was the year the company experienced the most growth with over a billion of the $1.86 billion in assets it has added during the year. In 2007 it purchased an interest in the Penasquito mine which did not begin producing until 2010.

February 2010 completed the acquisition of another royalty company, IRC which has claims in Chile and Canada . International Royalty Company was quick to accept the $702 million deal from Royal Gold after Franco-Nevada attempted a hostile $640 million takeover.By the end of the 2020 fiscal year, the company owns interests on 41 producing mines .

In July 2022, Royal Gold acquired Great Bear Royalties for $153 million.