Why Stantec Stock Soared on Friday

Stantec's stock surged 13.5% on Friday, as the company exceeded analysts' expectations for earnings and revenue. The engineering and environmental consulting firm reported an adjusted profit of Cdn$1.89 per share on Cdn$1.9 billion in revenue, a 9% year-over-year sales growth and a 24% increase in adjusted earnings per share. GAAP profit was lower at $1.12 per share, but still represented a 21% increase.

The company's contracted backlog, which is a gauge of future revenues, grew nearly 12% year-over-year, outpacing sales growth. This indicates that sales growth may accelerate in the future. Stantec has also revised its guidance for the rest of the year, narrowing the expected revenue growth range to 9% to 11% and raising the forecast for adjusted earnings growth to 17% to 19%.

These revised forecasts are approximately in line with the growth rates that analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence expect Stantec to maintain over the next five years.

At a price-to-earnings ratio of 23, with an 18% long-term growth rate and a 0.9% dividend yield, the stock appears to be reasonably priced. While it may be slightly overpriced following today's rally, it is not excessively so. The Motley Fool's Stock Advisor, which has a total average return of 831%, recommends buying Stantec as part of their 10 best stocks for investors to purchase right now.