2026-10-25
L.B. Foster Co clears the business-activity screen and the figures we can measure look clean, but one or more financial figures are still pending, so the verdict is not final yet.
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latest tape · as of 20:04 UTC
The Screen · Industrials · Railroads
L.B. Foster Co
FSTR · NASDAQ · USD · Market cap $370M · 1,191 employees
L.B.
Not yet scored35.19 USD
Price as of 23 Oct 2026Daily close, not a live quoteLast reviewed 5 days ago
Screened 2026-10-23 · the tape above runs as of 20:04 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
Key facts today
- Price35.19 USD at the 23 Oct 2026 close
- Ethical screenNot yet scored
- OptionsOpen interest leans heavily to calls (put/call 0.40)
- Last reviewed23 Oct 2026 (5 days ago)
A summary of the dated readings below, not a live quote and not advice.
PRICE · FAIR-VALUE RANGE1M3M6MYTD1Y3Y5Y
What this means: price 35.19 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 42.25, over the last year.
- Trend Markdown
- Insiders no filings inside 60 days, left as found
- Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- Options put/call open interest 0.40, read 2026-10-27
- Ethical screen not yet scored
Price35.19 USD
Fair value42.25
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-08-30Read Markdown38.43-8.4% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markdown after an 8% slide in 4 weeks
2026-07-30Read Accumulation41.93-16.1% to today Markup gives way to Accumulation
2026-07-02Read Markup42.37-16.9% to today First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
The full research record, in depth, below
This name holds its markdown label.
L.B. Foster Co holds its Markdown at $35.19. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 99 days.
| Phase | Markdown · caution |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 99 days |
| Price at the screen | $35.19 |
| Valuation | 33.20 trailing · 17.38 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | Not scored · score 70.0 |
| Beta | 1.14 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
This security has not been fully scored against the values screen yet.
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Permissible | Core business clean | Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. | Pass |
| Debt load | 20.29% | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is just 20.3% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money. | Pass |
| Interest-bearing cash | 0.00% | Below 33% | Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. | Pass |
| Receivables | 25.70% | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is 25.7% of assets, under the 49% limit. | Pass |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical ReadThe Read, in Plain English
L.B. Foster Co clears the business-activity screen and the figures we can measure look clean, but one or more financial figures are still pending, so the verdict is not final yet.
Read as at 2026-10-27. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
2026-09-24
Clears
L.B. Foster Co clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 20%, inside the ~33% line, and almost none of its income is interest, so it passes.
Earlier reads, kept as written. The ethical profile is tracked over time, not overwritten.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-23 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 20.1% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 2 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +25% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-23 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words| Forward P/E | 17.4xreasonably valued |
| Trailing P/E | 33.2xa premium valuation |
| EPS, trailing | 1.06 |
| EPS, forward | 2.03 |
| Revenue growth | -3.5%revenue is shrinking |
| Profit margin | 2.0%barely profitable |
| Return on equity | 6.4%a modest return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | 12.44% |
| Debt to equity | 0.39minimal debt: a conservative balance sheet |
| Current ratio | 2.00comfortably covers its short-term bills |
| Beta | 1.14moves a little more than the market |
| Short interest, float | 0.05% |
| 52-week range | 23.81 - 45.81 |
| Moat | NONE |
| Market cap | $370M |
| Employees | 1,191 |
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeFSTR trades on NASDAQ. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-28
Markdown $35.19
+2.6% Entry 9
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved up 2.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 1% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-10-21
Markdown $34.30
-1.8% Entry 8
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 1.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 3% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-10-14
Markdown $34.94
-6.5% Entry 7
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 6.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 42% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-10-02
Markdown $37.35
-2.8% Entry 6
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 42% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-08-30
Markdown · changed $38.43
-8.3% Entry 5
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 8.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 42% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-07-30
Accumulation · changed $41.93
-1.0% Entry 4
The framework has shifted from markup to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 1.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 42% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-07-18
Markup $42.37
+0.0% Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 42% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 110%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 31%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $36.
2026-07-03
Markup $42.37
+0.0% Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02
Markup $42.37
Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
- Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging L.B. Foster (FSTR) This Year? Yahoo Finance · 22d ago
- L.B. Foster (FSTR): Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings? Yahoo Finance · 23d ago
- 4 Solid Interest Coverage Stocks to Buy Even as Rate-Hike Fears Ease Yahoo Finance · 23d ago
- 1 Small-Cap Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 Facing Challenges StockStory · 18 Sep 2026
- 1 Small-Cap Stock Worth Your Attention and 2 Facing Challenges Yahoo Finance · 18 Sep 2026
Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
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| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $40.92 | +0.1% | · | $1,001 | +0.1% |
| 2 months | $30.00 | +36.5% | · | $1,365 | +36.5% |
| 3 months | $27.66 | +48.1% | · | $1,481 | +48.1% |
| 6 months | $26.75 | +53.1% | · | $1,531 | +53.1% |
| 1 year | $19.53 | +109.7% | · | $2,097 | +109.7% |
| 2 years | $25.71 | +59.3% | · | $1,593 | +59.3% |
| 3 years | $13.99 | +192.7% | · | $2,927 | +192.7% |
| 5 years | $17.99 | +127.6% | · | $2,276 | +127.6% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever FSTR does next, these words stay.
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