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

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of analysts recently commented on STN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Desjardins reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stantec from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Thursday.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STN opened at $100.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.04. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $73.18 and a fifty-two week high of $114.51. The company has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.03 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.11. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Stantec had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 17.37%. Stantec has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.784-3.880 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Stantec will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Stantec’s payout ratio is presently 21.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Stantec by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,873,421 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $525,584,000 after acquiring an additional 152,170 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Stantec by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,566,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $384,584,000 after purchasing an additional 219,733 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,475,699 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $374,680,000 after purchasing an additional 26,388 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 3.5% in the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,469,545 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $266,236,000 after purchasing an additional 84,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stantec in the second quarter valued at about $157,932,000. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stantec

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.