Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Short Interest Down 21.0% in December

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 652,100 shares, a decrease of 21.0% from the November 30th total of 825,400 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 130,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days.

Stantec Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:STN traded down $0.88 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.88. 47,540 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 120,605. Stantec has a 1-year low of $76.03 and a 1-year high of $88.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.85 and a beta of 0.99.

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on STN. Scotiabank started coverage on Stantec in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “sector outperform” rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STN. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Stantec in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 867 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stantec by 12.4% during the second 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 grew its position in Stantec by 30.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new position in Stantec during the third quarter valued at 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.