Stantec (TSE:STN) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by Scotiabank

Scotiabank upgraded shares of Stantec (TSE:STN) (NYSE:STN) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Zacks.com reports.

STN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Stantec from C$128.00 to C$131.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Stantec from C$130.00 to C$145.00 in a report on Friday, October 4th. Raymond James lowered shares of Stantec from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from C$125.00 to C$120.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Stantec from C$120.00 to C$125.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$123.50.

Stantec Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of C$12.96 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.82. Stantec has a fifty-two week low of C$82.50 and a fifty-two week high of C$122.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 80.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$111.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$112.43.

Stantec (TSE:STN) (NYSE:STN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported C$1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of C$1.11 by C$0.01. The firm had revenue of C$1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$1.49 billion. Stantec had a net margin of 6.31% and a return on equity of 12.91%.

Stantec Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of ∞. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. Stantec’s payout ratio is 27.63%.

Insider Activity at Stantec

In other Stantec news, Director Asifa Samji acquired 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$109.75 per share, for a total transaction of C$32,925.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$92,190. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. In related news, Director Vito Culmone purchased 2,000 shares of Stantec stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$112.97 per share, with a total value of C$225,940.00. Also, Director Asifa Samji purchased 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$109.75 per share, with a total value of C$32,925.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$92,190. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 2,445 shares of company stock valued at $274,636. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

About Stantec

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.