Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Shares Acquired by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank boosted its position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 344,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Stantec were worth $27,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stantec by 3.2% in 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. Bank of Montreal Can raised 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 buying an additional 415,993 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Stantec by 175.7% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,266,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $105,850,000 after buying an additional 806,869 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Stantec by 11.1% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 940,461 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $77,860,000 after buying an additional 93,823 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of Stantec by 86.0% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 913,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $75,897,000 after acquiring an additional 422,538 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 16th. Raymond James cut Stantec from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Stantec in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Stantec stock opened at $86.03 on Friday. Stantec Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.88 and a 1-year high of $88.42. The company has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a PE ratio of 39.03 and a beta of 1.02. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $81.93 and a 200-day moving average of $82.46.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

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.