Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 14,200 Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 130,967 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,200 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned about 0.11% of Stantec worth $10,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Stantec by 632.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Stantec by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Natixis lifted its position in Stantec by 114.8% during the 4th quarter. Natixis now owns 1,781 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 952 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Stantec by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,359 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Stantec during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Stantec Trading Up 0.8%

Stantec stock traded up $0.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $104.24. 49,160 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,630. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. Stantec Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.18 and a fifty-two week high of $104.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.33 and a beta of 0.98. The firm's 50 day moving average is $89.21 and its 200-day moving average is $83.78.

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

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STN has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stantec currently has an average rating of "Buy".

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.