Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Stake in Stantec Inc. $STN

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 29.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,336,617 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 554,726 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Stantec were worth $144,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barometer Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Stantec by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barometer Capital Management Inc. now owns 46,990 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,066,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Stantec by 82.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 53,010 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,714,000 after purchasing an additional 23,934 shares during the period. PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. acquired a new stake in Stantec in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,695,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Stantec by 36.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 73,443 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,919,000 after buying an additional 19,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Stantec by 6.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,566,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $384,584,000 after buying an additional 219,733 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on STN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Stantec from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Stantec from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.00.

Stantec Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of STN stock opened at $91.39 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Stantec Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.07 and a twelve month high of $114.51. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $95.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.49. The stock has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26 and a beta of 1.12.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The business services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.03. Stantec had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Stantec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.370-4.490 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.245 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Stantec’s payout ratio is 21.85%.

About Stantec

Stantec is a global design and consulting firm offering professional services in engineering, architecture, and environmental sciences. The company partners with public and private clients to deliver solutions spanning infrastructure, water, energy and resources, and community development. Through an integrated approach, Stantec manages projects from initial planning and conceptual design through construction and commissioning, focusing on sustainability and innovation.

The firm’s service portfolio includes civil infrastructure design, building systems engineering, environmental assessments, and project management.