Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $52.2857.

Several brokerages recently commented on FLR. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Fluor from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Fluor in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Fluor from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Fluor from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Fluor from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Fluor Price Performance

Fluor stock opened at $51.62 on Tuesday. Fluor has a 1 year low of $29.20 and a 1 year high of $57.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -66.18, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.73 and a 200-day moving average of $44.02.

Fluor (NYSE:FLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.27 billion. Fluor had a positive return on equity of 7.96% and a negative net margin of 0.34%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Fluor will post 2.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Fluor

In related news, insider Mark E. Fields sold 5,178 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.36, for a total transaction of $271,120.08. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 194,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,184,753.04. This represents a 2.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin B. Hammonds sold 2,988 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.61, for a total transaction of $157,198.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $856,122.53. The trade was a 15.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,336 shares of company stock worth $809,356. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fluor

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Fluor during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,025,400,000. Starboard Value LP purchased a new position in shares of Fluor in the fourth quarter valued at $205,732,000. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Fluor in the 2nd quarter worth about $205,080,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Fluor by 163.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,167,676 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,203,712 shares during the period. Finally, Sourcerock Group LLC bought a new stake in Fluor in the second quarter worth $85,327,000. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Fluor

Here are the key news stories impacting Fluor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fluor monetized a large SMR stake, selling 71.0 million SMR shares on Feb. 13 for about $1.35 billion — trimming its indirect holding from ~111.4M to ~40.4M shares. The sale materially boosts Fluor’s cash position and reduces concentration in that investment, which could fund operations, reduce leverage or be redeployed into higher-return projects. Fluor Dumps 71 Million SMR Shares for $1.35 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary groups Fluor among industrials that are favorable on a longer-term basis, which provides some analyst support but hasn’t outweighed shorter-term concerns. Analysts Are Bullish on These Industrial Goods Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Several non-FLUOR industry or regional items surfaced (Stallion India land for an HFO plant; Tivan feasibility study; Indian index technical commentary) that are not material to Fluor’s near-term fundamentals. Stallion India Fluorochemicals secures land for new HFO plant in Rajasthan
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales disclosed this week — Mark E. Fields sold 5,178 shares (~$271K) reducing his stake ~2.6% (SEC filing). Mark E. Fields sale (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Kevin B. Hammonds sold 2,988 shares (~$157K), a ~15.5% drop in his holdings (SEC filing). Kevin B. Hammonds sale (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Tracey H. Cook sold 2,589 shares (~$138K), a ~19.4% reduction in her position (SEC filing). Tracey H. Cook sale (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Pierre Edward Bechelany sold 4,581 shares (~$243K), a ~12.3% reduction in ownership (SEC filing). Multiple concurrent insider sales increase perceived selling pressure and can amplify short-term negative sentiment. Pierre Edward Bechelany sale (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS and revenue miss and a negative net margin, underscoring execution/visibility risks that can weigh on sentiment until guidance or margin trends improve. (Company Q4 results, Feb. 17). FLR earnings summary

Fluor Company Profile

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) is a global engineering and construction firm that provides integrated solutions across the energy, chemicals, mining, clean energy, infrastructure and government services markets. The company’s core offerings include engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, maintenance and project management services, with capabilities spanning feasibility studies, detailed design and turnkey delivery. Fluor’s diversified portfolio encompasses conventional oil and gas facilities, liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, petrochemical facilities, power generation projects, transportation infrastructure and federal government programs.

Founded in 1912 by John Simon Fluor as the Fluor Construction Company in Pomona, California, the firm has grown into an industry leader headquartered in Irving, Texas.