Every day, the sun rises on Wall Street, and a plethora of professional analysts wake to issue new opinions on stocks. Here at the Fool, we use our "This Just In" column to examine some of these picks -- and the track record of the firm behind them -- so individuals can make better investing decisions.
In addition to following professional banks, anyone can use Motley Fool CAPS to monitor the collective opinions of more than 125,000 members, many of whom demonstrate better investing insight than published analysts do.
Enough top-performing CAPS members have turned bullish on Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI ) recently to upgrade it from the four-star rank it has held for months to the maximum five stars. A total of 1,178 members have given their opinion on the infrastructure and engineering firm, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.
Companies across virtually every industry were crushed in 2008. Even basic material and service firms like dry bulk shipper Excel Maritime Carriers (NYSE: EXM ) , crane-maker and shipbuilder Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW ) , and engineering, procurement, and construction firms like CB&I and Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR ) turned out to be big losers. However, with a steep fall in the share price of CB&I, many investors see the worst behind them and expect the firm to benefit from growth in worldwide infrastructure spending going forward.
While it still lacks any details, there's been plenty of enthusiasm surrounding Obama's infrastructure spending plan, which could significantly benefit CB&I and other engineering and construction companies, such as Fluor (NYSE: FLR ) , Jacobs Engineering (NYSE: JEC ) , and Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT ) . And CB&I has landed a few more projects, including a LNG expansion project in China, which will help meet the country's growing demand for natural gas. It also recently picked up a second nuclear power plant expansion contract from Westinghouse Electric valued at more than $150 million, and a $50 million hydotreating unit project contract for a North American refinery.
With its low forward multiple and a high projected growth rate, more than 97% of the CAPS members rating Chicago Bridge & Iron expect it to outperform the market going forward.
To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about Chicago Bridge & Iron -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look.
Further Foolishness:
On Jan. 12, 2009, Fool co-founder David Gardner, Jeff Fischer, and their Motley Fool Pro team will accept new subscribers to their real-money portfolio service. Motley Fool Pro is investing $1 million of the Fool's own money in long and short positions in a range of securities, including common stocks, put and call options, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). They also incorporate proprietary CAPS "community intelligence" data into their research. To learn more about Motley Fool Pro, and to receive a private invitation to join, simply enter your email address in the box below.
RSS Headlines
Fool UK