Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Makes New $381,000 Investment in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd has made a new investment in Stantec Inc., purchasing 4,598 shares valued at approximately $381,000.
• Stantec recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.1612 per share, boosting its annualized dividend to $0.64 with a yield of 0.59%.
• Despite reporting a quarterly earnings per share of $0.81, Stantec's revenue of $1.08 billion fell short of analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,598 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $381,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Stantec by 12.7% in the fourth 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Stantec by 13.1% in the fourth 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 period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Stantec by 114.3% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Stantec by 1.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 74,976 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STN traded up $0.14 on Tuesday, reaching $108.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 251,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,771. The stock's 50-day moving average is $107.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.78. Stantec Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.18 and a 52-week high of $113.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.88 and a beta of 1.03.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.02. Stantec had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.1612 per share. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. CIBC reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, July 18th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stantec 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.