Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Given Consensus 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 brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STN. Scotiabank began coverage on Stantec in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in Stantec during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Stantec by 802.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 975 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Stantec by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Stantec by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. acquired a new position in Stantec during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $211,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

Stantec Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:STN opened at $79.19 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.01. The stock has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.00 and a beta of 1.01. Stantec has a 1 year low of $74.98 and a 1 year 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 (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The business services provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. Stantec had a return on equity of 16.57% and a net margin of 4.78%. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Stantec will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

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.