Stantec (NYSE:STN) Reaches New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $92.14 and last traded at $91.67, with a volume of 93558 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $91.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on STN shares. Raymond James upgraded Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $85.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.35. The firm has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were given a dividend of $0.1574 per share. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This represents a $0.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Stantec's payout ratio is presently 26.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of STN. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Stantec by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,624,935 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $383,352,000 after purchasing an additional 49,857 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its position in Stantec by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 158,250 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,099,000 after buying an additional 3,390 shares during the period. Forge First Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stantec in the first quarter worth $3,699,000. Cumberland Partners Ltd increased its position in shares of Stantec by 38.4% during the first quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 173,355 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $14,374,000 after acquiring an additional 48,065 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 6.7% in the first quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 781,609 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,777,000 after acquiring an additional 48,954 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company's stock.

About Stantec

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.