Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

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

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

Institutional Trading of Stantec

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Stantec by 121.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,802,689 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $225,537,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536,475 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Stantec by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,453,730 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $116,897,000 after purchasing an additional 513,269 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in shares of Stantec by 86.0% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 913,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $75,897,000 after purchasing an additional 422,538 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Stantec by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,176,820 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $265,177,000 after purchasing an additional 415,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Stantec by 198.4% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 378,119 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,405,000 after buying an additional 251,407 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

Stantec Stock Performance

Stantec stock opened at $77.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $8.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.05 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. Stantec has a 1 year low of $76.03 and a 1 year high of $88.42. The company’s 50-day moving average is $82.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.71.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.155 per share. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. 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.