Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Sandstorm Gold shares reached a new 52-week high at $11.65, closing at $11.55, with a trading volume of 30,689 shares.
• Analysts are divided on the stock, with ratings ranging from "strong-buy" to "sell," but the consensus rating is currently "Hold" with a target price of $10.15.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.02 per share, marking a 100% boost from the previous dividend of $0.01.

Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $11.65 and last traded at $11.55, with a volume of 30689 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAND has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Canada lowered shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. TD Securities downgraded shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. National Bankshares reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Sandstorm Gold in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.15.

Sandstorm Gold Stock Up 1.3%

The firm has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 96.75 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a current ratio of 2.40. The firm's fifty day moving average is $10.30 and its 200 day moving average is $8.81.

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

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Sandstorm Gold

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SAND. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Sandstorm Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $153,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in 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 worth $11,100,000 after purchasing an additional 476,836 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 552,995 shares of the company's stock worth $3,086,000 after purchasing an additional 21,858 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Sandstorm Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $448,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 192.9% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 83,192 shares of the company's stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 54,789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.97% of the company's stock.

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.