Royal Gold, Inc.’s RGLD adjusted earnings per share of 36 cents per share in second-quarter fiscal 2019 (ended Dec 31, 2018) beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. The company had reported a loss per share of 23 cents in the prior-year quarter. Revenues of $97.6 million in the quarter declined about 14.6% from $114.3 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenues declined due to lower average gold, silver and copper prices as well as a drop in overall sales and production. Royal Gold, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Royal Gold, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Royal Gold, Inc. Quote Operational Highlights Royal Gold’s volume of 79,600 GEOs (Gold Equivalent Ounces) declined 11.3% from the prior-year quarter. Average gold price declined 3.8% to $1,226 per ounce from the year-ago quarter. The company reported costs of sales of $18.2 million in the reported quarter, down from the year-ago quarter $19.8 million. General and administrative expenses contracted to $7.4 million, compared with $9.6 million a year ago. Operating profit declined 23% year over year to $31 million. Financial Position Net cash provided by operating activities was around $59 million in second-quarter 2019 compared with $76 million in the prior-year quarter. The company ended the quarter with roughly $157 million cash in hand, up from $89 million at fiscal 2018-end. As of the quarter-end, the company’s total debt was $359 million, up from $351 million at fiscal 2018-end. The company has paid dividends worth $16.4 million during the quarter.In the past year, Royal Gold’s stock has gained 7% outperforming the industry’s gain of 1.5%.Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderRoyal Gold carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) currently.A few better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Rio Tinto plc RIO, Cameco Corporation CCJ and Israel Chemicals Ltd ICL. While Rio Tinto currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Cameco and Israel Chemicals carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Rio Tinto has an expected earnings growth rate of 5.1% for 2019. The company’s shares have moved up 8.4% in the past year.Cameco has an expected earnings growth rate of 18.5% for 2019. Its shares have surged 42.1% in a year’s time.Israel Chemicals has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.1% for 2019. Its shares have rallied 43.7% in a year’s time.Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, wouldn't you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? From more than 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank, these 10 were picked by a process that consistently beats the market. Even during 2018 while the market dropped -5.2%, our Top 10s were up well into double-digits. And during bullish 2012 – 2017, they soared far above the market's +126.3%, reaching +181.9%. This year, the portfolio features a player that thrives on volatility, an AI comer, and a dynamic tech company that helps doctors deliver better patient outcomes at lower costs.See Stocks Today >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Israel Chemicals Shs (ICL): Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD): Free Stock Analysis Report Cameco Corporation (CCJ): Free Stock Analysis Report Rio Tinto PLC (RIO): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.