Stantec (NYSE:STN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on STN. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James downgraded shares of Stantec from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stantec currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Trading Up 0.3 %

STN stock opened at $82.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.45. Stantec has a 52 week low of $67.54 and a 52 week high of $88.42. The company has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a PE ratio of 37.51 and a beta of 1.02.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Stantec by 3.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 4,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 12.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 5.1% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 6.8% in the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 3,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings 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 worth $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.