Stantec (NYSE:STN) Hits New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $104.70 and last traded at $104.53, with a volume of 140797 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $102.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James raised shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Stantec Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $12.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.02 and a beta of 0.98. 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's 50 day moving average is $91.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.52.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Analysts expect that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $0.1612 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. This is a boost from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Stantec by 632.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Stantec by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 874 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at about $97,000. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.