StockNews.com Downgrades Stantec (NYSE:STN) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James downgraded shares of Stantec from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Stantec has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Stock Performance

STN opened at $82.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $9.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.71 and a beta of 1.02. Stantec has a 52-week low of $67.54 and a 52-week high of $88.42. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.41.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is 28.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STN. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Stantec by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 42,310 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,402,000 after purchasing an additional 1,926 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Stantec by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,776,167 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $142,817,000 after purchasing an additional 48,009 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Stantec by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Stantec by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 344,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cumberland Partners Ltd lifted its holdings in Stantec by 1,013.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 112,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 102,125 shares in the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Company Profile

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.