Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Shares Acquired by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in Stantec Inc. by 6.7%, owning approximately 781,609 shares valued at $64.8 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Stantec recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1612, representing an increase from its previous payment, with a yield of 0.6%.
• Wall Street analysts have a positive outlook on Stantec, with most recommending it as a buy, and some raising their ratings to strong buy status.

Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 781,609 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 48,954 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp owned about 0.69% of Stantec worth $64,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Stantec by 632.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stantec by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 874 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stantec during the first quarter worth $85,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Stantec in the first quarter valued at about $97,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Stantec in the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Institutional investors own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. CIBC reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Stantec Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Stantec stock traded up $1.24 on Tuesday, hitting $111.25. 113,568 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 168,816. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $12.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.95 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average of $108.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.90. Stantec Inc. has a one year low of $73.18 and a one year high of $113.50.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.02. Stantec had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.1612 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's payout ratio is 27.27%.

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.