Marshall Wace LLP Acquires 29,667 Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 132.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,038 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 29,667 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Stantec were worth $4,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Stantec by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Stantec in the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in Stantec in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new position in Stantec in the fourth quarter valued at about $275,000. Institutional investors own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Stantec Price Performance

STN stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $87.79. 236,088 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,641. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90 and a beta of 1.00. Stantec Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.18 and a 52 week high of $90.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $83.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.92.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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