Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Stantec Inc. $STN

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 126.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 932,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 519,545 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Stantec were worth $88,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STN. Wolverine Trading LLC raised its stake in Stantec by 2.4% during 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 during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. raised its stake in Stantec by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 3,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Stantec by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 252 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Stantec by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Stantec by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,499 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Stantec from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Stantec from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Stantec from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $175.00.

Stantec Stock Performance

NYSE:STN opened at $92.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Stantec Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.08 and a 1 year high of $114.51. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.90. The company has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.51 and a beta of 1.06.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The business services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.03. Stantec had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 5.90%.The business had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. Stantec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.370-4.490 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stantec Inc. will post 4.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.245 dividend. This represents a $0.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.18%.

Stantec 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.