Swiss National Bank Increases Stake in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Swiss National Bank grew its position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 344,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Stantec worth $27,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STN. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Stantec by 175.7% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,266,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $105,850,000 after purchasing an additional 806,869 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in Stantec by 86.0% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 913,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $75,897,000 after acquiring an additional 422,538 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Stantec by 15.1% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,176,820 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $265,177,000 after acquiring an additional 415,993 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Stantec by 243.8% during the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 204,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,108,000 after purchasing an additional 144,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stantec by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,344,568 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $360,773,000 after purchasing an additional 133,687 shares during the period. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stantec Stock Up 2.3 %

STN stock opened at $86.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.46. Stantec Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.88 and a 12 month high of $88.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a PE ratio of 39.03 and a beta of 1.02.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.155 per share. This is an increase from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James downgraded Stantec from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Stantec presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.