Stantec (NYSE:STN) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on STN. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stantec from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, CIBC reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STN opened at $99.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of $73.18 and a fifty-two week high of $114.51. The stock has a market cap of $11.30 billion, a PE ratio of 32.57 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $96.85 and a 200-day moving average of $104.65.

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

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.225 dividend. This is a positive change 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 82.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,449,311 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $374,871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,558,703 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Stantec in the 2nd quarter worth $157,932,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Stantec by 80.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 870,352 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $93,824,000 after buying an additional 387,927 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Stantec by 44.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 802,897 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $86,609,000 after acquiring an additional 247,087 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Stantec by 6.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,566,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $384,584,000 after acquiring an additional 219,733 shares in the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.