Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

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

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James raised shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of STN traded up $1.27 on Friday, reaching $107.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 188,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 146,879. 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 $12.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.09 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $95.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.84. Stantec has a 12-month low of $73.18 and a 12-month high of $108.34.

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

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.1612 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is an increase from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Stantec's payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Stantec in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 632.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 37.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 874 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Stantec in the first quarter worth $85,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Stantec in the first quarter worth $97,000. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.