Stantec (TSE:STN) Reaches New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Stantec Inc. reached a new 52-week high of C$155.02, closing at C$153.13 with a trading volume of 27,166 shares.
• Analysts are optimistic about Stantec, with multiple price objective increases, now ranging from C$146.00 to C$165.00, and most ratings being "buy" or "outperform".
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.225, translating to an annualized yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 28.03%.

Shares of Stantec Inc. (TSE:STN - Get Free Report) NYSE: STN hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$155.02 and last traded at C$153.13, with a volume of 27166 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$149.91.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STN has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Stantec from C$145.00 to C$165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Stantec from C$138.00 to C$150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. National Bankshares boosted their price objective on Stantec from C$144.00 to C$147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Desjardins boosted their price objective on Stantec from C$148.00 to C$153.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, ATB Capital boosted their price objective on Stantec from C$140.00 to C$145.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of C$151.42.

Stantec Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$148.72 and a 200-day moving average of C$130.69. The company has a market cap of C$17.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 85.29.

Stantec Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Stantec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.03%.

Insider Activity at Stantec

In other Stantec news, Director Susan Reisbord bought 2,785 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$147.74 per share, with a total value of C$411,458.13. Also, Director Clayton Bock bought 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$139.51 per share, for a total transaction of C$174,392.88. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Stantec

Stantec Inc is a sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting company. The company is geographically diversified in three regional operating units namely Canada, the United States and Global, offering similar services across all regions. The company offers services in various sectors across the project life cycle through five business operating units infrastructure, water, buildings, environmental services, and energy and resources.