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

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

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in Stantec during the 2nd quarter worth $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Stantec by 802.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 975 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Stantec by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Stantec in the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of Stantec stock opened at $77.46 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.94. 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 has a one year low of $74.98 and a one year high of $88.42. The company has a market cap of $8.84 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21 and a beta of 1.01.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The business services provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Stantec had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 16.57%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Stantec will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Stantec’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

About Stantec

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.