Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Shares Bought by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 27.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,969 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,827 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Stantec were worth $1,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Stantec by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,575,078 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $358,951,000 after acquiring an additional 74,976 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 302,979 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $262,791,000 after purchasing an additional 542,305 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Stantec by 9.5% in 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. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Stantec by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,983,637 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $155,433,000 after purchasing an additional 207,470 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Stantec Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of STN stock traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $103.47. 52,952 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,776. The stock has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.00 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's fifty day moving average is $89.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.92. Stantec Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.18 and a 52-week high of $107.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during 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%. Equities analysts predict that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Six research 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, the stock currently 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.