Stantec (NYSE:STN) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 698,135 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 283% from the previous session’s volume of 182,450 shares.The stock last traded at $92.5640 and had previously closed at $92.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stantec in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stantec from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Desjardins reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Stantec in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Stantec currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $102.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11. The company 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, equities analysts forecast that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.225 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Stantec’s dividend 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. increased its holdings in Stantec by 3.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,873,421 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $525,584,000 after buying an additional 152,170 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Stantec by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,309,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $359,131,000 after acquiring an additional 964,188 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Stantec by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,566,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $384,584,000 after purchasing an additional 219,733 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Stantec by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,475,699 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $374,680,000 after purchasing an additional 26,388 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Stantec by 0.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,017,230 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $249,946,000 after purchasing an additional 8,268 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

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.