First Trust Advisors LP Buys 16,115 Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 720,143 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,115 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.63% of Stantec worth $56,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 74,976 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,496,408 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $273,970,000 after acquiring an additional 302,979 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in Stantec by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,983,637 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $155,433,000 after acquiring an additional 207,470 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Stantec by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,774,759 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $139,230,000 after purchasing an additional 14,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Stantec by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,479,729 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $116,207,000 after purchasing an additional 25,999 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 $0.55 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $87.68. 25,685 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,715. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $83.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.83. Stantec Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.18 and a 52 week high of $90.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76 and a beta of 1.00.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were given a dividend of $0.1574 per share. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. This is a positive change from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. Stantec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Raymond James raised shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.