Swiss National Bank Lowers Stock Holdings in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 324,670 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 6,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of Stantec worth $26,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Stantec by 166.5% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 22,342,818 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,751,093,000 after buying an additional 13,958,790 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,624,935 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $383,352,000 after acquiring an additional 49,857 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Stantec by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 3,344,994 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $262,791,000 after acquiring an additional 542,305 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Stantec by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,008,962 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $236,055,000 after acquiring an additional 261,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Stantec by 2.5% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,049,248 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $86,958,000 after purchasing an additional 25,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on STN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Stantec from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. CIBC reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, July 18th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Stantec Price Performance

Shares of Stantec stock traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $106.41. 279,048 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,170. Stantec Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.18 and a fifty-two week high of $113.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $108.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.84 and a beta of 1.03.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The business services provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Stantec had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 5.62%. On average, equities analysts expect that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.1635 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 29th. This represents a $0.65 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is 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.