Don't let the name fool you -- Chicago Bridge & Iron
CB&I has taken its lumps fairly recently, including an accounting mess and turnover in upper management, but second-quarter results will certainly help redeem that. Revenue jumped 36% this time out, and margins improved down the line, leading to a 73% improvement in operating income and more than twice the year-ago net profits. What's more, new awards won in the quarter rose 16% year over year.
Some recent announcements provide a flavor for what CB&I builds. The company got a $65 million deal from Suncor
There are certainly risks to the CB&I approach. For starters, the company has historically fulfilled many of its deals under lump-sum turnkey terms -- meaning that it accepts a fixed price that exposes the company to execution risk, forcing it to eat any cost overruns. That's not bad when you can produce better margins on a given piece of business than rival bidders, but you don't have to look far -- try Acergy
Much like its deals, CB&I's target market offers good news and bad news. CB&I has worked for companies like Valero
If you're not afraid of the margin and market risk, consider CB&I. The shares may not look like a tremendous value today, but there's more there than meets the eye in terms of cash flow leverage.
For more preassembled Foolishness:
Build your portfolio on a solid foundation of investing advice. A free 30-day trial to one of our Foolish newsletters can give you the blueprints to a sturdy financial future.
Fool contributor Stephen Simpson has no financial interest in any stocks mentioned (that means he's neither long nor short the shares).