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

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

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

Stantec Stock Performance

STN opened at $79.19 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.00 and a beta of 0.99. Stantec has a 1-year low of $76.03 and a 1-year high of $88.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Stantec’s payout ratio is 28.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STN. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Stantec by 121.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,802,689 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $225,537,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536,475 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Stantec by 54.6% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,453,730 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $116,897,000 after purchasing an additional 513,269 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its position in Stantec by 86.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Stantec by 15.1% in 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 buying an additional 415,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 198.4% in 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 last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.