Scotiabank Issues Optimistic Estimate for Stantec Earnings

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Stantec to $4.50 (from $4.47) and kept an Outperform rating, also forecasting FY2027 EPS of $4.92 while the consensus is $4.48.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—one Strong Buy, five Buy and one Hold—giving Stantec an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $175.
• Stantec set FY2026 guidance at $4.37–$4.49 EPS, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.245 (annualized $0.98, yield ~1.1%), and its shares trade around $92 with a market cap near $10.5 billion and a P/E of about 30.5.

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN - Scotiabank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Stantec in a report issued on Friday, April 17th. Scotiabank analyst J. Goldman now expects that the business services provider will post earnings of $4.50 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.47. Scotiabank currently has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Stantec's current full-year earnings is $4.48 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for Stantec's FY2027 earnings at $4.92 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also commented on STN. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Stantec from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Stantec from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered Stantec from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Stantec from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stantec presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $175.00.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of Stantec stock opened at $92.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.48 and a beta of 1.12. The stock's 50-day moving average is $89.49 and its 200-day moving average is $97.36. Stantec has a one year low of $84.08 and a one year high of $114.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The business services provider reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Stantec had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 5.90%.Stantec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.370-4.490 EPS.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.245 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.18%.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Stantec by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,966,062 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $468,622,000 after acquiring an additional 92,641 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Stantec by 25.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,464,733 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $421,321,000 after buying an additional 897,912 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Stantec by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,131,944 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $389,890,000 after buying an additional 117,613 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Stantec by 0.8% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,475,699 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $374,680,000 after buying an additional 26,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in Stantec by 3.5% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,469,545 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $266,236,000 after buying an additional 84,251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.86% of the company's stock.

Stantec Company Profile

Stantec is a global design and consulting firm offering professional services in engineering, architecture, and environmental sciences. The company partners with public and private clients to deliver solutions spanning infrastructure, water, energy and resources, and community development. Through an integrated approach, Stantec manages projects from initial planning and conceptual design through construction and commissioning, focusing on sustainability and innovation.

The firm's service portfolio includes civil infrastructure design, building systems engineering, environmental assessments, and project management.

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