L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) Short Interest Up 10.5% in September

L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 260,300 shares, an increase of 10.5% from the September 15th total of 235,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 54,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.8 days. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FSTR has been the topic of a number of research reports. B. Riley cut 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 report on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of L.B. Foster from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating 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 note on Monday, August 12th.

Insider Transactions at L.B. Foster

In other news, Director Raymond T. Betler acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.62 per share, for a total transaction of $88,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 30,893 shares in the company, valued at $544,334.66. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO William M. Thalman acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.79 per share, for a total transaction of $41,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 58,806 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,352.74. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Raymond T. Betler bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.62 per share, with a total value of $88,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,893 shares in the company, valued at $544,334.66. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 8,620 shares of company stock worth $149,231. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On L.B. Foster

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in L.B. Foster stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) by 760.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in L.B. Foster were worth $48,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 80.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

L.B. Foster Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of FSTR stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $20.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 11,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,231. 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 has a one year low of $14.23 and a one year high of $30.77. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.69 million, a P/E ratio of 27.74 and a beta of 0.81.

L.B. Foster (NASDAQ:FSTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.16). L.B. Foster had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 2.69%. The company had revenue of $140.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $137.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that L.B. Foster will post 1.2 EPS for the current year.

About L.B. Foster

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.