Stantec (NYSE:STN) Upgraded at Raymond James

Raymond James upgraded shares of Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stantec has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Trading Up 6.8 %

Shares of Stantec stock opened at $89.43 on Wednesday. Stantec has a 52-week low of $73.18 and a 52-week high of $90.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.65 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.99.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.1574 per share. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.36%.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 166.5% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 22,342,818 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,751,093,000 after acquiring an additional 13,958,790 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Stantec by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,575,078 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,951,000 after purchasing an additional 74,976 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Stantec by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,496,408 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $273,970,000 after purchasing an additional 302,979 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Stantec by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 3,344,994 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $262,791,000 after buying an additional 542,305 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Stantec by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,008,962 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $236,055,000 after buying an additional 261,705 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

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.