Stella-Jones (SJ) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Stella-Jones (TSE:SJ - Get Free Report) will post its quarterly earnings results 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 - Get Free Report) 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. The firm 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%.

Stella-Jones Price Performance

TSE SJ traded up C$0.02 on Wednesday, reaching C$80.00. 87,458 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 134,465. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is C$78.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$78.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 5.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 97.46. The company has a market cap of C$4.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.68. Stella-Jones has a 12 month low of C$52.74 and a 12 month high of C$85.77.

Stella-Jones Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. 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. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Stella-Jones's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SJ. Desjardins reduced their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Stella-Jones from C$91.00 to C$94.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. TD Securities reduced their target price 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. CIBC increased their target price on Stella-Jones from C$85.00 to C$86.00 in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of C$88.71.

Insider Activity

In other Stella-Jones news, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford purchased 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$53.39 per share, with a total value of C$69,407.00. In other news, Senior Officer Richard Cuddihy bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$72.45 per share, with a total value of C$36,225.00. Also, Director Kevin Patrick Comerford bought 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$53.39 per share, for a total transaction of C$69,407.00. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 3,800 shares of company stock valued at $251,922. 0.14% of the stock is owned by 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.