Stantec (NYSE:STN) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $74.30 and last traded at $74.02, with a volume of 1448 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $77.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on STN. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Stantec in a report 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stantec Trading Up 1.7 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.73.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The business services provider reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. Stantec had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 16.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Stantec Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.155 per share. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Stantec’s payout ratio is 26.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stantec

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Stantec in the 2nd quarter valued at $71,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Stantec by 802.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 975 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Stantec by 30.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Stantec during the third quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stantec during the third quarter worth about $213,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.86% 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.