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

Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-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

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Desjardins lowered their price target on Stella-Jones from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 1st. CIBC boosted their price target on Stella-Jones from C$85.00 to C$86.00 in a 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 for the company in a report on Friday, March 1st. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Stella-Jones from C$89.00 to C$86.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, National Bankshares boosted their price target on Stella-Jones from C$87.00 to C$89.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of C$88.71.

Stella-Jones Stock Performance

The stock 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of C$78.04 and a 200 day 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 results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported C$0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of C$722.50 million. Stella-Jones had a return on equity of 20.32% and a net margin of 9.82%. Equities analysts predict that Stella-Jones Inc. will post 5.7146953 EPS for the current year.

Stella-Jones Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Investors 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 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Stella-Jones’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Stella-Jones’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.