Clearbridge Investments LLC Boosts Holdings in Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE:SAND)

Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (NYSE:SAND) by 48.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 384,921 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 125,096 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.13% of Sandstorm Gold worth $2,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sprott Inc. grew its position in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 4,048,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,365,000 after purchasing an additional 242,554 shares during the period. Helikon Investments Ltd acquired a new position in Sandstorm Gold in the first quarter valued at $6,771,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Sandstorm Gold by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 28,838,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,059,000 after acquiring an additional 657,177 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Sandstorm Gold by 1,787.2% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,049,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,893,000 after buying an additional 994,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of Sandstorm Gold by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 298,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after acquiring an additional 11,752 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.97% of the company’s stock.

Sandstorm Gold Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SAND traded down $0.09 during trading on Thursday, reaching $5.63. The company had a trading volume of 192,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,203,920. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $5.63 and its 200 day moving average is $5.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 2.26 and a current ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 71.63 and a beta of 1.13. Sandstorm Gold Ltd. has a twelve month low of $3.96 and a twelve month high of $6.07.

Sandstorm Gold (NYSE:SAND) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $42.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.80 million. Sandstorm Gold had a return on equity of 1.52% and a net margin of 12.24%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sandstorm Gold Ltd. will post 0.08 EPS for the current year.

Sandstorm Gold Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.0146 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 16th. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. Sandstorm Gold’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $11.00 price target on shares of Sandstorm Gold in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Sandstorm Gold from $6.25 to $6.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, CIBC boosted their price target on Sandstorm Gold from $9.00 to $9.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.04.

Sandstorm Gold 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.