Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $33.96 Million Holdings in Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND)

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board has reduced its stake in Sandstorm Gold Ltd by **33.3%**, now holding **4,497,638 shares** worth approximately **$33.96 million**.
• Several institutional investors increased their holdings in Sandstorm Gold, with **Invesco Ltd.** boosting its position by **35%**, now owning **6,522,246 shares** valued at around **$36.39 million**.
• Sandstorm Gold recently **increased its quarterly dividend** to **$0.02**, reflecting a **0.8% yield**, up from the previous **$0.01** dividend.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board trimmed its position in shares of Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Free Report) by 33.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,497,638 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,250,000 shares during the period. Sandstorm Gold accounts for 0.5% of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board owned 1.53% of Sandstorm Gold worth $33,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAND. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Sandstorm Gold by 35.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,522,246 shares of the company's stock worth $36,394,000 after buying an additional 1,691,296 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,974,343 shares of the company's stock worth $27,781,000 after acquiring an additional 913,527 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 68.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,359,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,179,000 after acquiring an additional 954,564 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 580.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,314,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,916,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,988,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,100,000 after acquiring an additional 476,836 shares in the last quarter. 51.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Canada downgraded shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $9.75 target price on Sandstorm Gold and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. National Bankshares restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sandstorm Gold in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on Sandstorm Gold from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sandstorm Gold presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.15.

Sandstorm Gold Stock Performance

Shares of SAND stock opened at $9.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. Sandstorm Gold Ltd has a 52 week low of $5.03 and a 52 week high of $10.44. The company's 50 day moving average price is $9.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.97. The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.54 and a beta of 0.47.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $50.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $71.61 million. Sandstorm Gold had a return on equity of 2.00% and a net margin of 15.80%. On average, analysts expect that Sandstorm Gold Ltd will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were paid a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This is an increase from Sandstorm Gold's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. Sandstorm Gold's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.00%.

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.

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