J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Trims Holdings in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its stake in Stantec Inc. by 9.1%, selling 25,074 shares and now owning approximately 0.22% of the company, valued at $20.75 million.
• Stantec recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.81, exceeding analysts' expectations, although revenue fell short at $1.08 billion.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.1612 per share, resulting in a 0.6% dividend yield.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG trimmed its position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 9.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 250,367 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 25,074 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned about 0.22% of Stantec worth $20,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Stantec by 166.5% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 22,342,818 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,751,093,000 after purchasing an additional 13,958,790 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,575,078 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $358,951,000 after acquiring an additional 74,976 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,496,408 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $273,970,000 after acquiring an additional 302,979 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Stantec by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 3,344,994 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $262,791,000 after purchasing an additional 542,305 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Stantec by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,008,962 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $236,055,000 after purchasing an additional 261,705 shares during the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stantec Trading Up 1.1%

STN traded up $1.18 on Monday, reaching $109.84. 55,893 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 161,997. The company's 50 day moving average is $108.13 and its 200-day moving average is $92.90. The company has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.39 and a beta of 1.03. Stantec Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.18 and a twelve month high of $113.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38.

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

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on STN shares. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. CIBC reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec 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.