L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) Short Interest Update

L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 235,100 shares, an increase of 25.3% from the July 31st total of 187,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 86,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 2.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

L.B. Foster Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FSTR traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $20.08. 29,586 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 68,106. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.79. L.B. Foster has a 12-month low of $14.23 and a 12-month high of $30.77. The stock has a market cap of $219.88 million, a P/E ratio of 27.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $140.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $137.36 million. L.B. Foster had a return on equity of 2.69% and a net margin of 1.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that L.B. Foster will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSTR has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered L.B. Foster from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. B. Riley dropped their price objective on shares of L.B. Foster from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Singular Research raised shares of L.B. Foster to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Raymond T. Betler bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.62 per share, with a total value of $88,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $544,334.66. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other L.B. Foster news, CFO William M. Thalman bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.79 per share, for a total transaction of $41,975.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 58,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,352.74. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Raymond T. Betler acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.62 per share, with a total value of $88,100.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 30,893 shares in the company, valued at $544,334.66. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 8,620 shares of company stock valued at $149,231 over the last ninety days. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On L.B. Foster

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in L.B. Foster stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR - Free Report) by 760.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,789 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,581 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in L.B. Foster were worth $48,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors own 80.63% of the company's stock.

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.

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