Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Stantec in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th.

Stantec Trading Down 3.1 %

STN opened at $78.81 on Friday. Stantec has a 1-year low of $74.98 and a 1-year high of $88.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.99 billion, a PE ratio of 35.82 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.08.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The business services provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Stantec had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 16.57%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stantec will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.155 per share. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Stantec’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Stantec by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 103,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,101,000 after buying an additional 5,129 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 228,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,914,000 after purchasing an additional 9,802 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,635,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the period. Finally, Canoe Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Stantec by 1,011.1% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 83,755 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,567,000 after buying an additional 76,217 shares in the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stantec

Stantec Inc provides professional services in the areas of infrastructure and facilities to the public and private sectors in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It offers evaluation, planning, and designing infrastructure solutions; solutions for sustainable water resources, planning, management, and infrastructure; environmental services; integrated architecture, engineering, interior design, and planning solutions for buildings; and energy and resources solutions.