Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE:SAND) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE:SAND) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.81.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SAND shares. HC Wainwright reduced their target price on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $12.00 to $11.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $6.75 to $7.25 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Sandstorm Gold from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Sandstorm Gold in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Sandstorm Gold from $6.50 to $7.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday.

Sandstorm Gold Stock Performance

Shares of SAND traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $6.88. 1,462,565 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,250,771. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 137.73 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 1.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $6.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.05. Sandstorm Gold has a 1 year low of $4.92 and a 1 year high of $7.74.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.03). Sandstorm Gold had a return on equity of 0.98% and a net margin of 8.11%. The company had revenue of $47.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Sandstorm Gold will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Sandstorm Gold Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.014 dividend. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Sandstorm Gold’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sandstorm Gold

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sprott Inc. increased its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 4,465,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,925,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955,916 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Sandstorm Gold by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 399,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,400,000 after acquiring an additional 23,947 shares during the period. FMR LLC purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the 3rd quarter valued at about $600,000. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 501,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,805,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 728,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,071,000 after purchasing an additional 108,000 shares during the period. 51.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sandstorm Gold

Sandstorm Gold Ltd. operates as a gold royalty company. The company focuses on acquiring royalties and gold and other metals purchase agreements from companies that have advanced stage operating mines. It offers upfront payments for companies to acquire a stream and receives the right to purchase a percentage of a mine's production for the life of the mine.