Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN - Get Free Report) TSE: STN has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on STN shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Stantec in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Stantec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Stantec from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of STN stock traded up $2.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $82.96. The company had a trading volume of 177,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,935. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $81.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Stantec has a one year low of $67.54 and a one year high of $88.42. The company has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.71 and a beta of 1.02.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend yield of 0.75%. Stantec's payout ratio is 28.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Stantec by 12.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,166 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 5.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,025 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 6.8% during the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 3,298 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Pembroke Management LTD boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 4.7% during the first quarter. Pembroke Management LTD now owns 7,599 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted 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 worth $171,000 after buying an additional 493 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Company Profile

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.