Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $9.25.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Sandstorm Gold from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Raymond James Financial set a $9.75 target price on Sandstorm Gold and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Sandstorm Gold from $6.50 to $7.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $7.25 to $8.25 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Sandstorm Gold Stock Performance

Shares of SAND stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.12. The stock had a trading volume of 6,337,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,928,682. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 91.16 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's 50 day moving average is $8.74 and its 200 day moving average is $7.12. Sandstorm Gold has a twelve month low of $4.92 and a twelve month high of $9.68.

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

Sandstorm Gold Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th were issued a $0.014 dividend. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 14th. Sandstorm Gold's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sandstorm Gold

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners increased its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 39,289.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,812,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,751,000 after purchasing an additional 9,787,105 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the first quarter worth $15,617,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Sandstorm Gold by 580.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,314,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,916,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,600 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. increased its position in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 4,465,843 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,925,000 after buying an additional 1,955,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 731.7% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,032,823 shares of the company's stock worth $15,348,000 after buying an additional 1,788,404 shares during the last quarter. 51.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.