JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd Lowers Position in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd trimmed its stake in Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,997,846 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 212,664 shares during the period. Stantec makes up approximately 2.3% of JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd owned approximately 4.38% of Stantec worth $390,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STN. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,575,078 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,951,000 after buying an additional 74,976 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Stantec by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,496,408 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $273,970,000 after acquiring an additional 302,979 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Stantec by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 3,344,994 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $262,791,000 after purchasing an additional 542,305 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Stantec by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,983,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $155,433,000 after purchasing an additional 207,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Stantec by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,774,759 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $139,230,000 after purchasing an additional 14,332 shares in the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stantec Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of STN stock opened at $94.25 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $85.16 and a 200 day moving average of $82.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Stantec Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.18 and a 1-year high of $94.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84 and a beta of 0.98.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a dividend of $0.1574 per share. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Stantec’s dividend payout ratio is 26.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James upgraded Stantec from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Stantec in a research note on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “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.