Stantec (NYSE:STN) Trading 5.7% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN)’s share price traded up 5.7% during trading on Friday after ATB Cormark Capital Markets upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating. The company traded as high as $76.38 and last traded at $76.8940. 117,212 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 341,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.77.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on STN. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stantec from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Stantec from $168.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stantec from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Stantec presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of STN. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Stantec by 1,504.9% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,958 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 1,836 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Stantec by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 164,426 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,621,000 after purchasing an additional 22,524 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Stantec by 73.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 22,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 9,325 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in Stantec in the 2nd quarter valued at about $361,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Stantec by 15.2% in 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 last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50 day moving average is $88.08 and its 200-day moving average is $94.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The business services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.02. Stantec had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Stantec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.370-4.490 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stantec Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Stantec Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.245 dividend. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.44%.

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.