Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 55,573 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,179 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Stantec were worth $4,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STN. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Stantec by 78.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Stantec by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,359 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Stantec in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new stake in Stantec in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $275,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Stantec by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,650 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Raymond James upgraded Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Stantec Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STN traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.79. The company had a trading volume of 26,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 135,628. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.56. Stantec Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.18 and a twelve month high of $90.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.47 and a beta of 1.00.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were issued a $0.1574 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.61%.

Stantec 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.