Stantec (NYSE:STN) Sets New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $103.32 and last traded at $101.76, with a volume of 340542 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $101.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STN. Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Six research 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.com, Stantec has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Stantec Trading Up 0.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.25 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $87.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.13. 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 (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1612 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Stantec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. Stantec's payout ratio is 25.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stantec during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Stantec by 632.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in Stantec by 37.6% during 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 period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the 1st quarter valued at about $97,000. 63.86% of the stock is currently 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.

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