Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.63, but opened at $10.16. Sandstorm Gold shares last traded at $10.11, with a volume of 5,008,055 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on SAND shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Sandstorm Gold from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $6.50 to $7.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. 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. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Sandstorm Gold from $7.25 to $8.25 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $9.25.

Sandstorm Gold Trading Up 6.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.51 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $8.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.35.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 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%. Research analysts forecast that Sandstorm Gold Ltd will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.02 per share. This is a positive change from Sandstorm Gold's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Sandstorm Gold's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.00%.

Institutional Trading of Sandstorm Gold

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 62.0% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,916 shares of the company's stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 10,302 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Sandstorm Gold by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 501,762 shares of the company's stock worth $2,805,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Sandstorm Gold by 4.1% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Sandstorm Gold by 115.3% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,469,501 shares of the company's stock worth $8,200,000 after purchasing an additional 786,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 129,749 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 4,068 shares during the period. 51.97% of the stock is owned by 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.