L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• L.B. Foster's stock was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, indicating optimistic future performance.
• In the latest quarterly earnings report, L.B. Foster posted $0.27 EPS, missing the analysts' consensus of $0.52, with revenue also falling short of expectations.
• Institutional investors have increased their stake in L.B. Foster significantly, with ownership now at 80.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

L.B. Foster Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:FSTR traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.65. 26,029 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,534. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 2.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.62 and a 200 day moving average of $21.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.09 million, a P/E ratio of 6.82 and a beta of 0.98. L.B. Foster has a 12 month low of $17.16 and a 12 month high of $29.77.

L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 11th. The basic materials company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $143.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $147.76 million. L.B. Foster had a net margin of 7.19% and a return on equity of 3.64%. L.B. Foster has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that L.B. Foster will post 1.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in L.B. Foster by 197.2% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,368 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 4,225 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in L.B. Foster during the 4th quarter valued at $349,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in L.B. Foster during the 2nd quarter valued at $201,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of L.B. Foster in the 2nd quarter worth about $122,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of L.B. Foster by 189.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,131 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,395 shares during the period. 80.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

L.B. Foster Company Profile

L.B. Foster Company provides engineered and manufactured products and services for the building and infrastructure projects in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through two segments: Rail, Technologies, and Services; and Infrastructure Solutions. The Rail, Technologies, and Services segment offers new rail to passenger and short line freight railroads, industrial companies, and rail contractors, as well as used rails; rail accessories, such as rack spikes, bolts, angle bars, tie plates, and other products; insulated rail joints and related accessories; fixation fasteners, coverboards, and special accessories; and trackwork products.