L.B. Foster Company (FSTR) Stock

L.B. Foster Company (FSTR) is a Consumer Discretionary stock trading at $42.38 (as of 2026-07-24), with a market capitalization of $443.19M and a trailing P/E of 39.7. Figures are sourced from first-party U.S. SEC EDGAR filings and market data.

L.B. Foster Company manufactures engineered products and provides related services for building and infrastructure projects. Its Rail, Technologies and Services segment supplies products for passenger and freight railroads and rail contractors, and also offers rail condition monitoring and related systems, while its Precast Concrete Products segment makes specialty precast concrete components for transportation and infrastructure uses.

Understand L.B. Foster Company: how it makes money

L.B. Foster Company provides engineered and manufactured rail and infrastructure products and services, including new and used rails, rail accessories, insulated rail joints, and related trackwork, which it sells to railroads, industrial companies, and rail contractors.

Because its offerings are engineered rail and track products and services sold to railroads and contractors, the profit engine is tied to rail project activity, reflected in rail order inflows and rail-related revenue.

Revenue by segment (latest quarter)
Rail$0.1B
Precast$0.0B

Business quality (Weak): The model is tied to project-driven sales of engineered rail and related infrastructure components, but the latest snapshot shows thin operating profitability, so execution and rail demand timing matter.

Valuation: At 42× earnings, FSTR trades 75% above the Wholesale average (24×). Note: one-time items can distort reported P/E.

Bull case

  • Scope of rail solutions: The Rail, Technologies, and Services segment includes new rail, used rails, rail accessories, and engineered insulated rail joints and related accessories, which can support multiple points in the rail value chain.
  • Proximity to customers in rail and contracting: Products and services are directed to passenger and short line freight railroads, industrial companies, and rail contractors, aligning the business with how these buyers source rail components.

Bear case

  • Thin operating profitability: The latest-period operating margin is 1.7%, leaving limited room for cost increases or weaker demand.
  • Project and spending cyclicality risk: The business sells engineered products and services for building and infrastructure projects, so shifts in rail and infrastructure construction or maintenance activity can pressure orders and revenues.
Valuation — source: SEC EDGAR (first-party)
Price$42.38
Market Cap$443.19M
P/E Ratio39.7
EV / EBITDA11.6
Price / Book2.54
Price / Sales0.79
FCF Yield9.1%
DCF Value (model)$18.17
DCF Upside vs Price-57.1%
Profitability & Growth — source: SEC EDGAR
Revenue (TTM)$540.01M
Net Margin1.4%
Revenue Growth (YoY)23.9%
EPS Growth (YoY)-175.0%
FCF Growth (YoY)-53.3%
Financial Health — source: SEC EDGAR
Altman Z-Score4.56 (safe)
Valuation vs Sector & Industry
Stock P/E39.7
Sector P/E (Consumer Discretionary)21.6
Industry P/E (Wholesale)24.8
vs Sector84.3%
vs Industry59.9%
Smart-Money Activity — SEC Form 4 / 13F / Congressional disclosures
Top Institutional HolderBRANDES INVESTMENT PARTNERS, LP ($41.33M)
Institutional Holders Tracked10
Company
SectorConsumer Discretionary
IndustryWholesale
CEOJohn F. Kasel
Employees1,057
CountryUS
IPO Date1981-06-09

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FSTR earnings history · FSTR institutional & insider holders · FSTR KPIs & operating metrics · Congress trades · Insider trades · Short interest · Stock screener

Data as of 2026-07-24.

Figures sourced from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC EDGAR) filings and market data. Not personalized investment advice.