Stantec is your better option for new buying

Article Excerpt

Engineering firms offer investors a tempting way to profit as governments around the world plan to spur their post-pandemic growth with new spending on public infrastructure such as roads, bridges and power grids. That will spur new orders at both Stantec and SNC-Lavalin. Still, for your new buying, we prefer Stantec shares. STANTEC INC. $49 is a buy. The stock (Toronto symbol STN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 112.1 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 1.3%; 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. The company continues to grow through acquisitions. For example, it’s now buying Minnesota-based engineering firm Wenck. That firm specializes in environmental projects such as wastewater treatment and soil remediation. Stantec has yet to reveal how much it is paying for Wenck. However, the two firms have collaborated on…