LB FOSTER (FSTR)
Industrials · Rail infrastructure and freight/transit equipment manufacturing · NASDAQ
L.B. Foster engineers and manufactures rail infrastructure products, friction management systems, and digital condition monitoring technology that optimize safety, reliability, and performance for global railroad and transit operators.
What LB FOSTER does
L.B. Foster is a global technology solutions provider founded in 1902 that engineers, manufactures, and services infrastructure products and solutions for railroads, transit systems, and industrial companies. Operating through two segments—Rail, Technologies, and Services (57% of sales) and Infrastructure Solutions (43% of sales)—the company offers rail products, friction management systems, condition monitoring technology, and engineered infrastructure components across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Themes: Rail infrastructure products and services, Friction management technology, Railroad condition monitoring / digital track inspection, Rail safety and performance optimization, Infrastructure technology solutions, Supply chain and logistics for rail networks
Fundamentals
- Price$38.08 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$401M as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+70.5% 2025-08-21 close $22.33 → 2026-08-21 close $38.08
- P/E36.24 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+2.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+21.5% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+6.4% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.34 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+11.7% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)-4.0% SEC XBRL
- Beta1.16 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-10 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How FSTR compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 357 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 457 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 457 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 455 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 460 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRbottom 25% 426 covered Industrials peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 414 covered Industrials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Industrials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage
Not assessed — last reported dividend predates the accounts. The most recent fiscal year in which FSTR reported a dividend payment is FY2016, while its reported financial statements run through FY2025. Coverage is therefore not assessed for the latest year — an FY2016 ratio would not describe FSTR today.
Coverage is derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures, comparing dividends paid against net income and free cash flow for the SAME fiscal year. It is not shown here because the latest fiscal year with a reported dividend payment (FY2016) is older than the latest year of reported financial statements (FY2025), so any ratio would describe an out-of-date year. Informational only — not financial advice.
How LB FOSTER looks technically
LB FOSTER (FSTR) is trading 14.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 241 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 36, with sellers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 38, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 3 trading days ago. It is 16.9% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 14.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +14.0% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $41.64 | $41.64 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $33.39 | $33.39 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 10 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 10 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in the fourth leg, a pullback against that downward direction; the labelling fails if price closes above 39.97. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 4 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 241 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 241 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 36, with sellers in control | 36.4 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 38, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 38.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($36.39 to $43.04) — its "stochastic" reading is 25 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 25.4 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 37 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $45.81 | $45.81 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 16.9% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -16.9% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 70.6% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +70.6% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 16.9% below its highest point of the past year | 16.9% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 3 trading days ago | 3 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 3 trading days ago | 3 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $59.95 (set on 2007-12-12) | $59.95 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($22.33 to $45.17), and it has given back roughly a third of its rise from last year’s low — 31% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $30.32 to $31.05. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 31.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 36.5% below its all-time high | -36.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 3.5% above a support level at $36.74 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-05-21, most recently on 2026-08-11. Since 2024-08-21 it has 18 such levels below the current price and 2 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -3.5% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $7.96 (set on 2020-03-18) | $7.96 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 378.4% above its all-time low | +378.4% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are wider than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (wider than about 73% of it) | 73rd percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.62 between its high and its low — about 4.3% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.62 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $36.45 and $43.37 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $36.45 – $39.91 – $43.37 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.3% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.3% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 2.9 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (14.0% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 2.9 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.60× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | today it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | today |
|---|---|---|
| Since a hammer | today, after a stretch of decline, it sold off hard during the session and then closed back near its high — a "hammer", the long lower wick showing the drop was bought back before the close | today |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.5% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 3.1% gap up opened on 2026-08-11 has been "filled" 8 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 8 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 2 sessions in a row, a +2.92% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 13.9 percentage points (the stock lost 11.6% while the market gained 2.3%) | -13.9% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 3.1 percentage points (the stock gained 0.0% while the market gained 3.1%) | -3.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 10.6 percentage points (the stock gained 21.7% while the market gained 11.1%) | +10.6% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 50.1 percentage points (the stock gained 70.5% while the market gained 20.5%) | +50.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, outperforming the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, a fresh 20-day low, MACD momentum is negative — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading inside the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the zone traders read as unresolved — neither side has established a trend, and the band is where that gets settled. The band itself is thick, spanning 12.4% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | 0.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 3% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $36.88 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +3.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 1% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-10 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $38.40 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 10 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -0.8% |
Price levels it has turned at before
FSTR last closed at $38.08 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 18 prices below its last close and 2 above; the 3 nearest below and the 2 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $36.74 | Support | 3.5% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-05-21 to 2026-08-11 |
| $40.01 | Resistance | 5.1% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-06-12 to 2026-07-30 |
| $43.03 | Resistance | 13.0% above the last close | turned there four times · 2026-05-08 to 2026-08-05 |
| $32.48 | Support | 14.7% below the last close | turned there three times · 2026-02-06 to 2026-04-24 |
| $29.54 | Support | 22.4% below the last close | turned there three times · 2024-12-11 to 2026-03-23 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 4 of five, a pullback against that direction.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $39.97.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $38.38 and $39.97 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction, which fails on a close below $36.94.
This reading has stood for 4 trading days, since 2026-08-18.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Broke down to a new 20-day low · beating the market · Printed a doji candle · Printed a hammer candle after a decline · Trading inside the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (3.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 2 analysts
- Mean price target$44.00 range $42.00 – $46.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-21. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for FSTR
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.405 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-21
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Cyclical demand tied to railroad capital spending and infrastructure investment cycles","Dependence on freight and passenger railroad customers and short-line operators with varying maintenance budgets","Foreign currency exposure across global operations in multiple regions (Americas, Europe, Asia) affecting consolidated financial results"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of FSTR's 10-Q filed 2026-05-04 against the prior one filed 2025-11-03.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'duties or trade wars' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'rising labor costs' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'the disruption of government funding programs as a result of potential periodic government shutdowns' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'either with respect to our systems or those of third parties on whom we rely' regarding cybersecurity risks (2026-05-04 filing)
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'and the U.S. presidential and congressional elections' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Added language in forward-looking statements: 'oil prices, and wage inflation' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Bridge Products grid deck product line discontinuation announced August 30, 2023, with Q1 2025 sales data included (2026-05-04 filing)
- Removed:
- Removed language: 'a continuation or worsening of' from adverse economic conditions description (2025-11-03 filing had this phrasing)
- Removed language: 'the continued volatility' regarding oil and gas prices (2025-11-03 filing had 'continued')
- Removed language: 'the continued U.S. government shutdown' (2025-11-03 filing contained this specific reference)
- Removed language: 'tariffs or trade wars' and replaced with expanded text (2025-11-03 filing)
- Removed reference to 'cost' before 'and availability of materials' (2025-11-03 filing had 'timeliness and availability')
- Removed language: 'which could disrupt' and replaced with 'either with respect to our systems or those of third parties on whom we rely, which could disrupt' (2025-11-03 filing)
- Removed reference to 'the UK's 2024 parliamentary election and the U.S. 2024 Presidential election' (2025-11-03 filing)
- Removed reference to 'a lack of or delay in' regarding state or federal funding (2026-05-04 has 'a lack of, freezing of, or delay in')
- Removed reference to 'volatility in steel prices' without 'oil prices, and wage inflation' clause (2025-11-03 filing)
- Removed 'Product Line Exits' section discussing Automation and Materials Handling (AMH Exit) with sales data (2025-11-03 filing)
- Reworded:
- Changed 'our ability to timely effectuate' to 'our ability to timely effectuate' in 2026-05-04 filing (no substantive change noted in actual text)
- Changed reference from 'Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024' to 'for the year ended December 31, 2025' (2026-05-04 filing)
- Changed heading from 'Product Line Exits' (plural, 2025-11-03) to 'Product Line Exit' (singular, 2026-05-04)
- Changed reference to 'the UK's 2024 parliamentary election and the U.S. 2024 Presidential election' to 'the UK's parliamentary elections and the U.S. presidential and congressional elections' (2026-05-04 filing removes year references and adds 'congressional')
- Notes:
- The newer filing text appears truncated at 'For the three months ended March 31, 2025, the product line had net sales of $501 and the Com' preventing full assessment of product line section changes
- The older filing text is also truncated at 'The Company expects to com' preventing complete comparison of product line discussion
- Both texts show page breaks suggesting content loss due to extraction method
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales are on record for FSTR — recent Form 4 activity was compensation-related (awards, option exercises, or tax withholding), not open-market buying or selling.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsOnly open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
4 institutional 13F filers reported holding FSTR as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 4
- Reported shares held 1,199,038
- Reported value $33,453,154
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 2 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
FSTR had 263,187 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
FSTR had 2.50% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 3.74 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 263,187
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 2.50%
- Prior settlement (shares) 266,934
- Reported change -1.4%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.74
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Progress Rail Services
- Amsted Rail
- Wabtec (WAB)
- Voestalpine Railway Systems
- Pandrol
- Greenbrier Companies (GBX)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare FSTR vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does LB FOSTER (FSTR) do?
L.B. Foster is a global technology solutions provider founded in 1902 that engineers, manufactures, and services infrastructure products and solutions for railroads, transit systems, and industrial companies. Operating through two segments—Rail, Technologies, and Services (57% of sales) and Infrastructure Solutions (43% of sales)—the company offers rail products, friction management systems, condition monitoring technology, and engineered infrastructure components across North America, South…
What sector is LB FOSTER (FSTR) in?
LB FOSTER (FSTR) is classified in the Industrials sector. Its industry is Rail infrastructure and freight/transit equipment manufacturing. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are LB FOSTER's (FSTR) competitors?
Notable peers of LB FOSTER (FSTR) include Progress Rail Services, Amsted Rail, Wabtec, Voestalpine Railway Systems and Pandrol. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is LB FOSTER (FSTR) overbought or oversold right now?
LB FOSTER (FSTR) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 38, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on FSTR come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.