Stantec (TSE:STN) Shares Climb 14.8% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Stantec shares jumped 14.8% in Friday midday trading to C$123.30, on volume about 9% below its daily average.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: ten analysts rate the stock Buy, with a consensus price target of C$143. Recent targets range from C$129 to C$169.
• Stantec reported quarterly EPS of C$1.89 and revenue of C$2.35 billion. It also pays an annualized dividend of C$0.98 per share, a yield of about 0.8%.

Shares of Stantec Inc. (TSE:STN - Get Free Report) NYSE: STN traded up 14.8% during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock traded as high as C$124.50 and last traded at C$123.30. Approximately 422,957 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 465,004 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$107.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotia cut their price target on shares of Stantec from C$133.00 to C$129.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. ATB Cormark Capital Markets increased their price objective on Stantec from C$130.00 to C$133.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Desjardins set a C$169.00 target price on Stantec and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Stantec from C$148.00 to C$146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of C$143.00.

Stantec Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of C$13.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is C$99.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$109.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 80.98.

Stantec (TSE:STN - Get Free Report) NYSE: STN last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The company reported C$1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Stantec had a net margin of 6.23% and a return on equity of 15.26%. The business had revenue of C$2.35 billion for the quarter.

Stantec Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.2450 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 29th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Stantec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stantec

In related news, Director Susan Reisbord acquired 2,068 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of C$102.59 per share, for a total transaction of C$212,156.12. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$846,675.27. The trade was a 33.44% increase in their position. Also, Director Shelley Ann Marie Brown bought 393 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$95.91 per share, for a total transaction of C$37,692.63. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,277 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$602,027.07. This represents a 6.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

About Stantec

Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world's greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before. We are a global leader in sustainable architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting. Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more. Today's communities transcend geographic borders.

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