Babcock & Wilcox Shares Jumped: What You Need to Know

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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of power-plant maker Babcock & Wilcox (NYSE: BWC ) had a power surge today, up by as much as 10% after the company reported mixed quarterly earnings last night.

So what: Third-quarter revenue powered up to $707.6 million, while earnings per share came in at $0.44. It was a miss and a beat compared with the consensus estimates of $729.2 million in sales and $0.37 in earnings per share.

Now what: Investors were clearly focusing on the profit beat rather than the sales miss, with the stock closing out the day with a 7% gain. Some of the contracts awarded during the quarter include renewable-energy power plants, environmental construction, and nuclear reactor maintenance. B&W CEO Brandon Bethards said, "Recently, several of the company's growth initiatives have taken important steps forward," and he attributed strength to bidding activity for environmental projects and winning contracts to design components for a new nuclear propulsion system for submarines.

Interested in more info on Babcock & Wilcox? Add it to your watchlist.

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Fool contributor Evan Niu holds no position in any company mentioned. Check out his holdings and a short bio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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