Stantec (NYSE:STN) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN - Free Report) TSE: STN from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, CIBC reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy".

Stantec Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE STN traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $112.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 131,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 152,590. 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 company has a market capitalization of $12.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.30 and a beta of 1.03. Stantec has a 52 week low of $73.18 and a 52 week high of $112.28. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $105.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.29.

Stantec (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The business services provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Stantec had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 18.22%. Research analysts anticipate that Stantec will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STN. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Stantec by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 46,036 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,612,000 after purchasing an additional 3,726 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Stantec by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,575,078 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $358,951,000 after purchasing an additional 74,976 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 580,736 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $45,559,000 after buying an additional 39,671 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.