Ancora Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Sandstorm Gold Ltd $SAND

Key Points

• Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sandstorm Gold Ltd by 49.5%, acquiring a total of 597,250 shares, valued at approximately $4.5 million.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.02, a boost from the previous $0.01, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.7%.
• Sandstorm Gold's shares have experienced a wide trading range over the past year, with a low of $5.33 and a high of $11.51, currently trading at around $11.24.

Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Free Report) by 49.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 597,250 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 197,710 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Sandstorm Gold worth $4,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sandstorm Gold during the first quarter valued at $4,443,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 12.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,526 shares of the company's stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 7,189 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP grew its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 18.1% during the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 781,562 shares of the company's stock worth $5,901,000 after buying an additional 119,504 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Sandstorm Gold during the first quarter worth about $121,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new position in shares of Sandstorm Gold during the first quarter worth about $12,729,000. 51.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Securities downgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Canada downgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, National Bankshares reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sandstorm Gold in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sandstorm Gold currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.15.

Sandstorm Gold Price Performance

Shares of SAND stock traded up $0.11 on Monday, hitting $11.59. 3,378,192 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,875,908. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.40 and a quick ratio of 2.40. Sandstorm Gold Ltd has a 12 month low of $5.33 and a 12 month high of $11.69. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 96.54 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.17 and a 200 day moving average of $8.73.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. The business had revenue of $51.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.43 million. Sandstorm Gold had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 17.78%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sandstorm Gold Ltd will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This is an increase from Sandstorm Gold's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Sandstorm Gold's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

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.