Fluor Corporation (FLR): Today's Featured Materials & Construction Winner

Fluor Corporation ( FLR) pushed the Materials & Construction industry higher today making it today's featured materials & construction winner. The industry as a whole closed the day up 3.2%. By the end of trading, Fluor Corporation rose 51 cents (0.9%) to $58.77 on average volume. Throughout the day, 1.4 million shares of Fluor Corporation exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.7 million shares. The stock ranged in a price between $58.11-$59.07 after having opened the day at $58.39 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $58.26. Other companies within the Materials & Construction industry that increased today were: American Mold Guard Incorporated ( AMGI), up 175%, Patrick Industries ( PATK), up 13.6%, A V Homes ( AVHI), up 9.6%, and Pike Electric Corporation ( PIKE), up 8.3%.

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Fluor Corporation has a market cap of $9.89 billion and is part of the industrial goods sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 17.2, equal to the average materials & construction industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 15.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 16 analysts that rate Fluor Corporation a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and three rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Fluor Corporation as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income, notable return on equity and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

On the negative front, Perma-Fix Environmental Services ( PESI), down 5%, PGT ( PGTI), down 4.8%, Gafisa ( GFA), down 4.7%, and Progressive Waste Solutions ( BIN), down 4.3%, were all losers within the materials & construction industry with Republic Services ( RSG) being today's materials & construction industry loser.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the materials & construction industry could consider SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF ( XHB) while those bearish on the materials & construction industry could consider ProShares Short Basic Materials Fd ( SBM).
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