Sterling Infrastructure (NASDAQ:STRL) Stock Rating Upgraded by KeyCorp

Key Points

• KeyCorp upgraded Sterling Infrastructure to a "strong-buy", joining several other firms in bullish moves and leaving the stock with a consensus price target of $510 and an average rating of "Buy."
• Sterling reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results—$3.08 EPS vs. $2.63 estimate and $755.6M revenue vs. $639.4M estimate—and set FY2026 guidance of 13.450–14.050 EPS (analysts expect ~12.95 EPS).
• There has been notable insider selling recently—insiders sold 54,000 shares in the last 90 days, including the CEO's sale of 50,000 shares for about $22.7 million—despite institutional ownership of 80.95%.

Sterling Infrastructure (NASDAQ:STRL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at KeyCorp to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Sterling Infrastructure from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Sterling Infrastructure from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research raised Sterling Infrastructure from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sterling Infrastructure from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Argus began coverage on Sterling Infrastructure in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $510.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sterling Infrastructure currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $510.00.

Sterling Infrastructure Price Performance

NASDAQ STRL opened at $495.67 on Thursday. Sterling Infrastructure has a 12 month low of $139.20 and a 12 month high of $504.05. The stock has a market cap of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.90, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.51. The company's 50 day moving average is $429.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $376.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Sterling Infrastructure (NASDAQ:STRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The construction company reported $3.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $755.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.41 million. Sterling Infrastructure had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 32.82%. Sterling Infrastructure has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.450-14.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sterling Infrastructure will post 12.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dana C. O'brien sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $820,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,714,180. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph A. Cutillo sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.48, for a total transaction of $22,674,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 340,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $154,452,113.64. The trade was a 12.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 54,000 shares of company stock valued at $24,284,000. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sterling Infrastructure

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Sterling Infrastructure by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 686 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sterling Infrastructure by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 107 shares of the construction company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Sterling Infrastructure by 27.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 130 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Sterling Infrastructure by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 397 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sterling Infrastructure by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the construction company's stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 80.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Sterling Infrastructure

Sterling Infrastructure, Inc NASDAQ: STRL is a diversified manufacturer and distributor of essential infrastructure products serving municipal, utility and industrial customers across North America. Through its network of wholly owned subsidiaries, the company designs, engineers and produces a wide range of cast and fabricated solutions tailored to the needs of the waterworks, natural gas, telecommunications, electric, traffic safety and parks & recreation markets.

The company's product portfolio encompasses ductile iron and composite fittings, valve boxes, manhole frames and covers, water and gas meter sets, street light poles and mounting accessories, traffic sign posts with breakaway systems, bollards and related system components.

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