L B Foster's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of L B Foster (FSTR) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: L B Foster vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 558M vs 148,165M combined for its competitors (0.4% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (-0.7% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+11.5%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: L B Foster generated -3.5% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs -16.6% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 2.3% net margin compares with 7.9% for the peer group.
- Scale: L B Foster ranks #23 of 30 companies by market capitalization in the Iron & Steel industry, holding 0.1% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: L B Foster accounted for 0.3% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 0.3% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.47M compares with $0.65M for the peer group (0.7x).
- Structure: L B Foster operates in the following segments: Rail Technologies and Services, Precast Concrete Products, Steel Products.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
FSTR Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
L B Foster reported revenue contraction of 3.49 % year on year in Q2 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -16.64 %.
With a net margin of 2.25 %, L B Foster reported lower profitability than its competitors (7.90 %).
L B Foster generated 0.33 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 0.29 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
L B Foster vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in L B Foster reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across L B Foster and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (8) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across L B Foster's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Iron & Steel industry grew revenue 7.7% year over year, combined, vs -3.5% for L B Foster. L B Foster's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.07% to 0.06%, a loss of 0.01 percentage points.
L B Foster's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (26) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
FSTR Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
FSTR Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
FSTR Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enviri Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Ecopetrol S a | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Stepan Company | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Valaris Limited | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Integral Technologies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for L B Foster's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
L B Foster's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of L b Foster Company
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 L b Foster Company |
421.67 | 558.35 |
 The Sherwin williams Company |
84,648.60 | 24,409.20 |
 Illinois Tool Works Inc |
80,155.04 | 16,646.00 |
 Ecopetrol S a |
31,970.80 | 30,513.17 |
 Ppg Industries Inc |
27,315.22 | 16,692.00 |
 Dow Inc |
22,840.36 | 40,494.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 355,960.50 | 227,637.52 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on L b Foster Company versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
L B Foster's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | Rail Technologies and Services 61.26 % |
| The Sherwin williams Company | Paint Stores Group 57.30 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Test and Measurement and Electronics 19.33 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Industrial Coatings 40.06 % |
| Dow Inc | Operating Segment Total 98.39 % |
| Dupont De Nemours Inc | Diversified Industrials 52.87 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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L B Foster's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | 422 | 468,810 | 9,491 |
| The Sherwin williams Company | 84,649 | 379,916 | 41,840 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 80,155 | 387,116 | 75,070 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 31,971 | 1,271,382 | 153,423 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 27,315 | 383,724 | 36,368 |
| Dow Inc | 22,840 | 1,170,347 | -38,728 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 355,539 | 646,378 | 42,121 |
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L B Foster's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| The Sherwin williams Company | Non-US 20.00 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | North America 33.22 % |
| Dow Inc | U.S.& Canada 40.37 % |
| Dupont De Nemours Inc | Asia Pacific 23.77 % |
| Rpm International Inc | US 70.18 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
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L B Foster's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 29 companies in L B Foster's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.L B Foster ranks #23 of 29 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.15 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 1,088, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nucor Corporation | 55,976 | 19.30 % |
| 2 | Arcelormittal | 46,711 | 16.11 % |
| 3 | Steel Dynamics Inc | 32,229 | 11.11 % |
| 4 | Tenaris Sa | 31,071 | 10.71 % |
| 5 | Ati Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Reliance Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Posco Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Carpenter Technology Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Grupo Simec S a b De C v | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Ternium S a | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 23 | L b Foster Company | 422 | 0.15 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of L B Foster's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-06.
L B Foster's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Nwpx Infrastructure Inc | 855 | 39.86 % |
| 19 | Suncoke Energy Inc | 841 | 41.29 % |
| 20 | Metallus Inc | 718 | -7.95 % |
| 21 | Algoma Steel Group Inc | 595 | 28.64 % |
| 22 | Insteel Industries Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 23 | L b Foster Company | 422 | 40.55 % |
| 24 | Titan International Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 25 | Friedman Industries Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 26 | Ascent Industries Co | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 27 | Mag Mile Capital Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 28 | Huadi International Group Co Ltd | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of L B Foster's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-06. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
L B Foster's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Iron & Steel industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (45 companies). See the full Iron & Steel industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 21.36 % | 12.99 % (avg) | +8.4 pp |
| Operating Margin | 4.36 % | industry median | -0.5 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 6.40 % | 3.76 % (avg) | +2.6 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 2.09 % | 4.69 % (avg) | -2.6 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
L B Foster's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Iron & Steel industry average (45 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Iron & Steel industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 35.2x | 23.4x | +11.8x |
| EV / EBITDA | 12.7x | 12.0x | +0.7x |
| P/B | 2.2x | 2.4x | -0.1x |
| Return on Equity | 6.41 % | industry aggregate | -7.42 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 5.51 % | 2.10 % (avg) | 3.41 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
L B Foster's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 10.93 % | 16.89 % | 4.48 % | -24.07 % | 3.26 % | 9.16 % | -2.26 % | 1.74 % |
| Operating Margin | 67.62 % | -3.35 % | 4.09 % | 3.14 % | 0.87 % | 1.48 % | 3.86 % | 4.05 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 82.39 % | -5.15 % | 6.09 % | 3.24 % | 0.94 % | 2.15 % | 5.01 % | 4.99 % |
| P/E | 61.2x | - | 4.9x | 21.4x | 44.2x | 147.6x | 6.1x | 38.6x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
L B Foster's Strategic Group Map
L B Foster is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
L B Foster's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 10.0% and operating margin of 4.4% compares with an average of 6.9% growth and 7.1% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- L B Foster sits above that peer average on growth and below it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
L B Foster's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
L B Foster falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.01x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 6.1% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
L B Foster's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 1,088 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 2.09 % vs industry average 4.69 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on L B Foster's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
L B Foster's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
L B Foster falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
L B Foster's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 7.4 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.01x).
Opportunities
- A meaningful share of competitors (34.60 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
L B Foster's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | 0.06 | 2.06 | 0.36 |
| The Sherwin williams Company | 0.03 | 0.81 | 2.67 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 0.15 | 1.20 | 2.98 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 0.11 | 0.54 | 0.95 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 0.34 | 1.60 | 0.88 |
| Dow Inc | 0.40 | 1.87 | 1.01 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
L B Foster's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | Q2 2026 | -3.5 % | +9.7 % |
| The Sherwin williams Company | Q2 2026 | +7.5 % | +11.8 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q3 2026 | +4.4 % | +4.1 % |
| Ecopetrol S a | Q4 2025 | -7.1 % | -19.2 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Q3 2026 | +6.6 % | +0.9 % |
| Dow Inc | Q3 2026 | +11.5 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | -0.3 % | +81.4 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
L B Foster's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | Q2 2026 | -4.4 % | +33.2 % |
| The Sherwin williams Company | Q2 2026 | +8.0 % | -40.3 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q3 2026 | -12.8 % | -12.8 % |
| Ecopetrol S a | Q4 2025 | -3.3 % | +6.2 % |
| Ppg Industries Inc | Q3 2026 | +6.7 % | +5.4 % |
| Dow Inc | Q3 2026 | +3.9 % | +98.0 % |
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L B Foster's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | 3.39% | 4.27% | 6.41% |
| The Sherwin williams Company | 10.20% | 16.38% | 62.12% |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 19.74% | 22.80% | 103.35% |
| Ecopetrol S a | 5.12% | 7.30% | 13.53% |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 7.08% | 9.09% | 18.85% |
| Dow Inc | - | - | - |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
L B Foster's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| L b Foster Company | 37.50 | 0.76 |
| The Sherwin williams Company | 31.77 | 3.47 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 36.49 | 4.82 |
| Ecopetrol S a | 119.09 | 1.05 |
| Ppg Industries Inc | 17.68 | 1.64 |
| Dow Inc | - | 0.56 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.04 | 1.56 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.