Stantec Inc. Stock Upgraded (STN)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stantec (NYSE:STN) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, good cash flow from operations, increase in net income and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 15.8%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 15.8%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.44, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. Along with the favorable debt-to-equity ratio, the company maintains an adequate quick ratio of 1.18, which illustrates the ability to avoid short-term cash problems.
• Net operating cash flow has significantly increased by 682.36% to $24.53 million when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, STANTEC INC has also vastly surpassed the industry average cash flow growth rate of 0.45%.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500, but is less than that of the Professional Services industry average. The net income increased by 19.7% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $25.71 million to $30.78 million.
• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 28.72% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Looking ahead, the stock's sharp rise over the last year has already helped drive it to a level which is relatively expensive compared to the rest of its industry. We feel, however, that other strengths this company displays justify these higher price levels.

Stantec Inc. The company has a P/E ratio of 77.9, above the average diversified services industry P/E ratio of 71.6 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Stantec has a market cap of $1.46 billion and is part of the services sector and diversified services industry. Shares are up 16.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Stantec Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

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For more information on Stantec Inc. click any of the following:

• Stantec Inc. Stock Price

• Stantec Inc. Analyst Ratings

• Stantec Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Stantec Inc. Earnings

• Stantec Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Stantec Inc. Growth Rates

• Stantec Inc. Balance Sheet

• Stantec Inc. Cash Flow

• Stantec Inc. Income Statement