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

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

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank began coverage on Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Stantec Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of STN stock opened at $83.21 on Friday. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $74.62 and a fifty-two week high of $88.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.82 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STN. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Stantec in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in Stantec in the 2nd quarter valued at about $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Stantec by 802.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 975 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Stantec by 12.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Stantec by 30.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. 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.