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L.B. Foster (FSTR) to Post Q1 Earnings: What's in Store?

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L.B. Foster Company (FSTR - Free Report) will release first-quarter 2021 results after the closing bell on May 3. The company is expected to have faced headwinds from disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic and challenges in the oil and gas market. However, it is likely to have benefited from improved orders in the Rail Technologies business.

The company delivered an earnings surprise of 1,057.3%, on average, over the trailing four quarters. It posted an earnings surprise of 242.9% in the last reported quarter.

Shares of L.B. Foster are up 14.2% over a year, compared with a 159.8% rise of its industry.

 


 

 

Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

What do the Estimates Say?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter sales for L.B. Foster is currently pegged at $117.8 million, which suggests an 8.5% decline year over year.

Some Factors at Play

L.B. Foster is likely to have gained from improved order activities in its Rail Technologies and Services segment in the quarter to be reported. However, the company is likely to have faced headwinds from continued disruptions due to the pandemic in the first quarter as various restrictive measures remain in place in major markets. Pandemic-related disruptions are likely to continue to have affected rail traffic volumes.

The company’s Infrastructure Solutions segment is also expected to have faced challenges in the energy market.  Lower oil demand resulting from reduced travel due to the pandemic is hurting demand for certain products and services offered by this segment. Challenges in the midstream energy market is likely to have hurt volumes and margins of the company’s Coatings and Measurement business unit.

 

L.B. Foster Company Price and EPS Surprise

 

L.B. Foster Company Price and EPS Surprise

L.B. Foster Company price-eps-surprise | L.B. Foster Company Quote

 

Zacks Model

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for L.B. Foster this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here.

Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for L.B. Foster is 0.00%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for the first quarter is currently pegged at a loss of 3 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: L.B. Foster currently carries a Zacks Rank #1.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are some companies in the basic materials space you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

AdvanSix Inc. (ASIX - Free Report) , scheduled to release earnings on Apr 30, has an Earnings ESP of +7.69% and carries a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Westlake Chemical Corporation (WLK - Free Report) , scheduled to release earnings on May 4, has an Earnings ESP of +0.64% and a Zacks Rank #2.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF - Free Report) , scheduled to release earnings on May 5, has an Earnings ESP of +21.62% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.

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