Scotia Capital Inc. Has $13.10 Million Stock Holdings in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Key Points

• Scotia Capital Inc. has increased its stock position in Stantec Inc. by 2.2%, now holding 158,250 shares valued at approximately $13.1 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Stantec announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.1612 per share, representing a 0.6% yield, with a payout ratio of 27.27%.
• Equities analysts maintain a positive outlook for Stantec, with several ratings of "buy" and a consensus rating of "buy" according to MarketBeat.

Scotia Capital Inc. raised its stake in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 158,250 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,390 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Stantec worth $13,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Stantec by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 580,736 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $45,559,000 after purchasing an additional 39,671 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 407,626 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,965,000 after purchasing an additional 45,900 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 263,845 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $20,699,000 after purchasing an additional 30,629 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 114.3% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,679 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,858,000 after purchasing an additional 12,627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 199.0% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 12,741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 8,480 shares during the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. TD Securities reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, CIBC reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, July 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec Trading Up 1.1%

STN traded up $1.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $111.23. 177,303 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 158,577. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.96 and a beta of 1.03. Stantec Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.18 and a 1-year high of $113.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $108.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Stantec had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 5.01%. As a group, equities 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 was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.1612 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.27%.

Stantec Company 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.