Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND) Stock Position Boosted by National Bank of Canada FI

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Sandstorm Gold Ltd by 21%, acquiring an additional 177,592 shares, bringing its total to 1,022,886 shares valued at approximately $7.7 million.
• Sandstorm Gold recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.01 to $0.02, representing an annualized yield of 0.8% with a payout ratio of 50%.
• Analyst ratings for Sandstorm Gold currently include five "buy" ratings, indicating strong market interest, with a consensus price target of $10.15.

National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Free Report) by 21.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,022,886 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 177,592 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.35% of Sandstorm Gold worth $7,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAND. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. acquired a new position in shares of Sandstorm Gold in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Fiduciary Trust Co purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $86,000. United Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the first quarter worth about $118,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Sandstorm Gold by 43.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,989 shares of the company's stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 6,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the fourth quarter worth about $112,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.97% of the company's stock.

Sandstorm Gold Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of SAND stock traded up $0.13 on Friday, hitting $10.61. The stock had a trading volume of 3,812,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,022,538. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.42 and a beta of 0.47. The stock's 50 day moving average is $9.60 and its 200-day moving average is $8.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a current ratio of 2.40. Sandstorm Gold Ltd has a 52-week low of $5.33 and a 52-week high of $10.76.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The firm had revenue of $51.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.43 million. Sandstorm Gold had a net margin of 17.78% and a return on equity of 2.38%. As a group, research analysts expect that Sandstorm Gold Ltd will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.02 dividend. This is a boost from Sandstorm Gold's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Sandstorm Gold's dividend payout ratio is 50.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SAND. TD Securities lowered shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $9.75 target price on shares of Sandstorm Gold and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Stifel Canada downgraded shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $10.15.

Sandstorm Gold Profile

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.