Strong backlog a plus for Stantec

Article Excerpt

STANTEC INC. $54 is a buy. The stock (Toronto symbol STN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 111.6 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 1.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.stantec.com) offers you exposure to this leading seller of consulting, project-delivery, design and technology services. Stantec’s clients operate in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, transportation and construction. In the quarter ended March 31, 2021, revenue fell 8.0%, to $878.7 million from $955.2 million a year earlier. That’s mainly because the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the construction of new retail stores and hotels. However, savings from a new cost-control plan increased earnings in the quarter by 3.3%, to $56.1 million from $54.3 million; per-share earnings improved 2.0%, to $0.50 from $0.49. The company’s backlog as of March 31, 2021, was $4.61 billion, or roughly 1.3 times its annual revenue. Stantec is a buy. buy. …