Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating.

STN has been the subject of several research reports. TD Securities reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Stantec Trading Down 1.2%

STN stock traded down $1.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.64. 213,860 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,987. Stantec has a 1-year low of $73.18 and a 1-year high of $108.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a PE ratio of 48.47 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.55.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.02. Stantec had a return on equity of 16.57% and a net margin of 4.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stantec will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1612 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This is an increase from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Stantec's payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STN. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Stantec by 632.8% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stantec by 37.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 874 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Stantec in the first quarter valued at $85,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Stantec in the first quarter valued at $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company's stock.

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.