BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 12,627 Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 114.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,679 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,627 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Stantec were worth $1,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atria Investments Inc raised its position in Stantec by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,650 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Stantec by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its position in Stantec by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Stantec by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,359 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Stantec by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,739 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on STN. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. TD Securities reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James raised 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec Trading Up 1.2%

Stantec stock traded up $1.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $101.94. The stock had a trading volume of 167,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,496. The stock has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 46.34 and a beta of 0.98. Stantec Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.18 and a 52 week high of $103.32. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.51.

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

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1612 per share. This is a positive change from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Stantec's payout ratio is presently 25.62%.

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.