Sandstorm Gold (TSE:SSL) Will Pay A Dividend Of $0.02

The board of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (TSE:SSL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.02 per share on the 31st of January. This payment means the dividend yield will be 1.0%, which is below the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Sandstorm Gold

Sandstorm Gold's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Sandstorm Gold's earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 22.5% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 55% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Sandstorm Gold Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.0613 in 2021 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.0554. The dividend has shrunk at around 3.3% a year during that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

We Could See Sandstorm Gold's Dividend Growing

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Sandstorm Gold has impressed us by growing EPS at 9.1% per year over the past five years. The company is paying a reasonable amount of earnings to shareholders, and is growing earnings at a decent rate so we think it could be a decent dividend stock.

Sandstorm Gold Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Sandstorm Gold that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Sandstorm Gold not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.