Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Sells 50,348 Shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. cut its holdings in shares of Stantec Inc. (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) by 15.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 271,467 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 50,348 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned about 0.24% of Stantec worth $21,901,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of STN. First Affirmative Financial Network boosted its stake in shares of Stantec by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 3,784 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in shares of Stantec during the third quarter worth $26,000. Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Stantec by 0.4% during the third quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 118,579 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,694,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Stantec in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stantec by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,863 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. 63.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stantec Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of STN traded down $1.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.82. 22,156 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,096. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of 36.95 and a beta of 1.04. Stantec Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.49 and a 52 week high of $87.53.

Stantec (NYSE:STN) (TSE:STN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $912.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $891.12 million. Stantec had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 16.50%. On average, analysts predict that Stantec Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stantec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a $0.1548 dividend. This is a positive change from Stantec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Stantec’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Atb Cap Markets cut Stantec from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.00.

Stantec Profile

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.