Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average of $77.72

Shares of Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$77.72 and traded as high as C$82.58. Stella-Jones shares last traded at C$81.78, with a volume of 81,908 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on SJ shares. National Bankshares increased their target price on shares of Stella-Jones from C$87.00 to C$89.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Scotiabank reduced 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 report on Friday, March 1st. Desjardins cut their price target on shares of Stella-Jones from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, TD Securities cut their price target on shares of Stella-Jones from C$96.00 to C$94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$88.71.

Stella-Jones Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is C$78.04 and its 200 day moving average price is 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. The stock has a market capitalization of C$4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Stella-Jones Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. This is a boost from Stella-Jones’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Stella-Jones’s payout ratio is 19.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford bought 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$53.39 per share, with a total value of C$69,407.00. In other news, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford bought 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$53.39 per share, with a total value of C$69,407.00. Also, Director Simon Pelletier bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$73.15 per share, with a total value of C$146,290.00. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 3,800 shares of company stock valued at $251,922. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.