Amiral Gestion Makes New Investment in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Amiral Gestion bought a new position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 10,500 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $823,000. Stantec makes up approximately 0.5% of Amiral Gestion's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STN. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 632.8% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Natixis increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 114.8% during the fourth quarter. Natixis now owns 1,781 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 952 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,359 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stantec during the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stantec Stock Performance

NYSE:STN traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $104.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 145,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,994. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Stantec Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.18 and a fifty-two week high of $107.20. The firm's 50 day moving average is $89.21 and its 200-day moving average is $83.78. The firm has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.27 and a beta of 0.98.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.02. Stantec had a return on equity of 16.57% and a net margin of 4.78%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.1612 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STN. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. TD Securities reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

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.