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

Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on STN. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 11.1% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 940,461 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $77,860,000 after purchasing an additional 93,823 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Stantec by 243.8% during the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 204,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,108,000 after buying an additional 144,948 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 370.0% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 94,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,865,000 after buying an additional 74,000 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the second quarter valued at about $879,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Stantec by 8.6% in the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 340,812 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,526,000 after acquiring an additional 27,019 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stantec Stock Performance

NYSE STN opened at $79.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.00 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.73. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $76.03 and a fifty-two week high of $88.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.18%.

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.