Stantec (NYSE:STN) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $112.09 and last traded at $111.90, with a volume of 167752 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $110.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on STN. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated 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, June 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 45.92 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $105.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.75.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.02. Stantec had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 18.22%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.1612 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 0.58%. Stantec's payout ratio is 27.27%.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,316 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $578,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new position in Stantec during the 2nd quarter valued at about $229,000. Cigna Investments Inc. New bought a new position in Stantec during the 2nd quarter valued at about $222,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Stantec by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,709 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.