Stantec (NYSE:STN) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Stantec from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stantec from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Stantec from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $175.00.

Stantec Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE STN opened at $89.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $84.08 and a fifty-two week high of $114.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $89.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.73. The stock has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61 and a beta of 1.12.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The business services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.03. Stantec had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 17.56%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Stantec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.370-4.490 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stantec will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.245 dividend. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 5,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Stantec by 4.1% during the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Stantec by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 252 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Stantec by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stantec by 15.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Company Profile

Stantec is a global design and consulting firm offering professional services in engineering, architecture, and environmental sciences. The company partners with public and private clients to deliver solutions spanning infrastructure, water, energy and resources, and community development. Through an integrated approach, Stantec manages projects from initial planning and conceptual design through construction and commissioning, focusing on sustainability and innovation.

The firm’s service portfolio includes civil infrastructure design, building systems engineering, environmental assessments, and project management.