Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND)

Sandstorm Gold Ltd (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 3,250 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 48% compared to the typical volume of 2,194 call options.

Sandstorm Gold Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE SAND traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $9.84. 8,696,612 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,324,881. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.36 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Sandstorm Gold has a 1-year low of $4.92 and a 1-year high of $10.44.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Sandstorm Gold had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 2.00%. The business had revenue of $50.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $71.61 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sandstorm Gold will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sandstorm Gold Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Stockholders 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. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 15th. Sandstorm Gold's payout ratio is 60.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright increased 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Sandstorm Gold from $6.50 to $7.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $7.25 to $8.25 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, TD Securities lowered Sandstorm Gold from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sandstorm Gold has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $10.04.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sandstorm Gold

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold during the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Lifeworks Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,897 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,416 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co purchased a new stake in Sandstorm Gold in the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC bought a new position in Sandstorm Gold in the 1st quarter worth $91,000. Institutional investors 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.