Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) Short Interest Update

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

Stantec Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE STN traded down $0.88 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $78.88. 47,540 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 120,605. Stantec has a 52-week low of $76.03 and a 52-week high of $88.42. The firm has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.85 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.86.

Stantec Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on STN. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com raised Stantec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Stantec in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stantec currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Trading of Stantec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of Stantec by 243.8% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 204,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,108,000 after purchasing an additional 144,948 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Stantec by 370.0% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 94,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,865,000 after buying an additional 74,000 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in Stantec in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $879,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Stantec by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 340,812 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,526,000 after acquiring an additional 27,019 shares during the last quarter. 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.