Stella-Jones (SJ) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ) will be releasing its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, May 8th. Analysts expect Stella-Jones to post earnings of C$1.09 per share for the quarter.

Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of C$688.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$722.50 million. Stella-Jones had a return on equity of 20.32% and a net margin of 9.82%.

Stella-Jones Trading Down 9.4 %

Shares of TSE:SJ opened at C$72.49 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$77.99 and a 200 day moving average of C$78.27. The company has a market cap of C$4.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.68. Stella-Jones has a 12-month low of C$53.49 and a 12-month high of C$85.77. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. This is an increase from Stella-Jones’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Stella-Jones’s payout ratio is currently 19.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford purchased 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$53.39 per share, for a total transaction of C$69,407.00. In other Stella-Jones news, Director Simon Pelletier acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of C$73.15 per share, with a total value of C$146,290.00. Also, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford bought 1,300 shares of Stella-Jones stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of C$53.39 per share, for a total transaction of C$69,407.00. Insiders bought a total of 3,800 shares of company stock worth $251,922 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. National Bankshares lifted 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 research note on Friday, March 1st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Stella-Jones from C$91.00 to C$94.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. CIBC increased their target price on Stella-Jones from C$85.00 to C$86.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Securities lowered their price target on 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. Finally, Desjardins dropped their price target on Stella-Jones from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$88.71.

Stella-Jones Company Profile

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.