Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Short Interest Update

Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 652,100 shares, a decrease of 21.0% from the November 30th total of 825,400 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 130,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.0 days.

Stantec Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STN traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $78.45. The company had a trading volume of 271,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,888. The stock has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.66 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $82.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Stantec has a 52-week low of $76.03 and a 52-week high of $88.42.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. This is a boost from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Stantec’s payout ratio is presently 28.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, November 11th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stantec

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Stantec by 121.3% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,802,689 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $225,537,000 after purchasing an additional 1,536,475 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Stantec by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,453,730 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $116,897,000 after acquiring an additional 513,269 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its position in shares of Stantec by 86.0% during 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 boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $265,177,000 after acquiring an additional 415,993 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Stantec by 198.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 378,119 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,405,000 after purchasing an additional 251,407 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.