Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

A number of research firms have recently commented on STN. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th.

Stantec Price Performance

Shares of STN stock opened at $78.55 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.84. The company has a market cap of $8.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.70 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Stantec has a twelve month low of $76.03 and a twelve month high of $88.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Stantec during the second quarter worth $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Stantec by 802.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 975 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 867 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Stantec by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 30.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 493 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new position in shares of Stantec during the third quarter worth about $211,000. 63.86% of the stock is 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.