Sandstorm Gold Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:SAND)

Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 4,331 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 209% compared to the average daily volume of 1,400 call options.

Sandstorm Gold Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE SAND traded down $0.03 on Monday, hitting $7.55. 4,654,417 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,231,489. The company's 50-day moving average price is $6.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.93 and a beta of 1.06. Sandstorm Gold has a 52-week low of $4.92 and a 52-week high of $7.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 2.29.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.03). Sandstorm Gold had a return on equity of 0.98% and a net margin of 8.11%. The business had revenue of $47.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.04) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Sandstorm Gold will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Sandstorm Gold Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a $0.014 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Sandstorm Gold's payout ratio is 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sandstorm Gold

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,897 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,416 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 501,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,805,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Sandstorm Gold by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 399,540 shares of the company's stock worth $2,229,000 after buying an additional 3,640 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in Sandstorm Gold by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 24,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 129,749 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,068 shares during the last quarter. 51.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. HC Wainwright lowered their target price on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $12.00 to $11.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Sandstorm Gold from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Sandstorm Gold from $6.75 to $7.25 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $8.56.

Sandstorm Gold Company Profile

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.