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

Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$88.71.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Stella-Jones from C$91.00 to C$94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. TD Securities lowered 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. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Stella-Jones from C$89.00 to C$86.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Desjardins lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, CIBC raised their target price on Stella-Jones from C$85.00 to C$86.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 11th.

Stella-Jones Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of SJ opened at C$81.78 on Friday. Stella-Jones has a 52 week low of C$52.29 and a 52 week high of C$85.77. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of C$78.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$77.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 97.46, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 5.07.

Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported C$0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.90 by C$0.08. Stella-Jones had a return on equity of 20.32% and a net margin of 9.82%. The company had revenue of C$688.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$722.50 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stella-Jones will post 5.7146953 earnings per share for the current year.

Stella-Jones Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. This is a boost from Stella-Jones’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Stella-Jones’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.