Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$88.71.

SJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. CIBC boosted their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$85.00 to C$86.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. National Bankshares boosted their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$87.00 to C$89.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Desjardins decreased their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 1st. TD Securities decreased their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$96.00 to C$94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$89.00 to C$86.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 1st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Senior Officer Richard Cuddihy bought 500 shares of Stella-Jones stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$72.45 per share, with a total value of C$36,225.00. In other Stella-Jones news, Senior Officer Richard Cuddihy purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$72.45 per share, for a total transaction of C$36,225.00. Also, Director Simon Pelletier purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$73.15 per share, for a total transaction of C$146,290.00. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 3,800 shares of company stock valued at $251,922. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Stella-Jones Stock Up 0.0 %

TSE SJ opened at C$80.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.07, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 97.46. Stella-Jones has a 1-year low of C$52.74 and a 1-year high of C$85.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of C$78.09 and a 200-day moving average of C$78.15. The company has a market cap of C$4.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.23, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.68.

Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported C$0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.90 by C$0.08. The company had revenue of C$688.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$722.50 million. Stella-Jones had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 20.32%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stella-Jones will post 5.7169407 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stella-Jones Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. This is an increase from Stella-Jones’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Stella-Jones’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.93%.

About Stella-Jones

Stella-Jones Inc produces and sells pressure-treated wood products in Canada and the United States. It operates through two segments, Pressure-Treated Wood; and Logs and Lumber. The company offers railway ties and timbers for short line and commercial railroad operators; and wood utility poles for electrical utilities and telecommunication companies.