Stantec (NYSE:STN) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

STN has been the subject of several other research reports. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James downgraded Stantec from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of STN stock opened at $82.31 on Friday. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $67.54 and a fifty-two week high of $88.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.44. The company has a market cap of $9.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.41 and a beta of 1.02.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.18%.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Stantec by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 523,581 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,781,000 after buying an additional 46,267 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Stantec by 73.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,001 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 13,107 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Stantec during the 3rd quarter valued at $877,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Stantec during the 3rd quarter worth about $335,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in 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 worth $116,897,000 after purchasing an additional 513,269 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.