6 Undervalued Construction & Engineering Stocks for Friday, January 13

By Cynthia McLaughlin
January 13, 2023
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
Featured Tickers:
BBCP BRANF FOR IESC LMB PRIM

Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Construction & Engineering industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Latest Construction & Engineering Stock News

Before choosing which top Construction & Engineering stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction subsector comprises establishments whose primary activity is the construction of entire engineering projects, such as highways and dams, and specialty trade contractors, whose primary activity is the production of a specific component for such projects. Specialty trade contractors in the Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction subsector generally are performing activities that are specific to heavy and civil engineering construction projects and are not normally performed on buildings. The work performed may include new work, additions, alterations, or maintenance and repairs. Specialty trade activities are classified in this subsector if the skills and equipment present are specific to heavy or civil engineering construction projects. For example, specialized equipment is needed to paint lines on highways. This equipment is not normally used in building applications so the activity is classified in this subsector. Construction projects involving water resources, including dredging and land drainage, and projects involving open space improvement of parks and trails are included in this subsector. Some establishments in this subsector focus on the subdivision of land into individual building lots usually perform various additional site-improvement activities, like road building and utility line installation. Establishments in this subsector are classified based on the types of structures that they construct. This classification reflects variations in the requirements of the underlying production processes.

Why Focus on Undervalued Construction & Engineering Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

Click the button below to learn more about A+ Investor and subscribe today.

Learn More About A+ Investor

6 Undervalued Construction & Engineering Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Construction & Engineering industry for Friday, January 13, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Construction & Engineering industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc BBCP 0.90 14.9 7.4 (0.9%) 1.21 na B
Baran Group Ltd (USA) BRANF 0.22 35.6 6.1 56.7% 0.47 na A
Forestar Group Inc. FOR 0.56 4.8 4.2 (0.3%) 0.71 8.1 A
IES Holdings Inc IESC 0.37 23.3 8.1 1.6% 2.21 na B
Limbach Holdings Inc LMB 0.26 17.1 4.1 (1.7%) 1.32 8.6 B
Primoris Services Corp PRIM 0.33 10.9 7.9 2.1% 1.22 na A

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score BBCP Industry Median
Price/Sales 30 0.90 0.73
Price/Earnings 47 14.9 21.0
EV/EBITDA 40 7.4 9.0
Shareholder Yield 56 (0.9%) (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 33 1.21 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.8

Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. is a provider of concrete pumping services and concrete waste management services. The Company operates through four segments: U.S. Concrete Pumping, U.K. Operations, U.S. Concrete Waste Management Services and Corporate. The U.S. Concrete Pumping segment consists of concrete pumping services sold to customers in the United States, which is performed under the Brundage-Bone and Capital tradenames. The U.K. Operations segment consists of concrete pumping services and leasing of concrete pumping equipment to customers in the United Kingdom. The U.S. Concrete Waste Management Services segment consists of pans and containers rented to customers in the United States and the disposal of the concrete waste material services sold to customers in the United States, which is performed under the Eco-Pan tradename. The Corporate segment is primarily related to the intercompany leasing of real estate to certain of the U.S Concrete Pumping branches.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.90 compared to the industry median at 0.73, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 14.89 compared to the industry median at 20.99. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 7.4, when compared to the industry median of 9.0, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of (0.65%). Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 2.06. This could make Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Baran Group Ltd (USA)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score BRANF Industry Median
Price/Sales 7 0.22 0.73
Price/Earnings 80 35.6 21.0
EV/EBITDA 30 6.1 9.0
Shareholder Yield 1 56.7% (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 8 0.47 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.8

Baran Group Ltd. is a holding company. The Company provides engineering, technology, telecommunication and construction solutions. The Company's segments include Baran Israel, Baran International and Others. Its subsidiary companies are engaged in the provision of engineering and management services and solutions to clients, in order to perform engineering projects, involving planning and performance, including assistance in the finding and closure of financial solutions for a customer in order to execute projects. These services are provided in the fields of engineering planning, communications, transport, energy and development, the treatment of water and waste, and the delivery of water, including in industrial and security fields, in a range of functions, which are part and/or the whole of the execution processes, construction and implementing development and expansion plans, from the planning-stage until the stage of final delivery of the product to the client.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Baran Group Ltd (USA) has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

Baran Group Ltd (USA)’s price-earnings ratio is 35.6 compared to the industry median at 21.0. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Baran Group Ltd (USA) less attractive for value investors.

Baran Group Ltd (USA)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Baran Group Ltd (USA) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.06.

You can read more about Baran Group Ltd (USA)’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Forestar Group Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score FOR Industry Median
Price/Sales 20 0.56 0.73
Price/Earnings 9 4.8 21.0
EV/EBITDA 18 4.2 9.0
Shareholder Yield 49 (0.3%) (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 15 0.71 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow 26 8.1 20.8

Forestar Group Inc. is a residential lot development company. The Company is focused primarily on selling finished single-family residential lots to homebuilders. It operates through its real estate segment. The real estate segment primarily acquires land and develops infrastructure for single-family residential communities and sells residential single-family finished lots to local, regional, and national homebuilders. It is focused on making investments in land acquisition and development to expand its residential lot development business across a geographically diversified national platform. The Company is primarily investing in short-duration, phased development projects. It has operations in over 56 markets in approximately 23 states, and its lot position consisted of over 97,000 residential lots, of which approximately 64,400 were owned and over 32,600 were controlled through purchase contracts.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Forestar Group Inc. has a Value Score of 92, which is considered to be undervalued.

Forestar Group Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 4.8 compared to the industry median at 21.0. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Forestar Group Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Forestar Group Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Forestar Group Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.06.

You can read more about Forestar Group Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

IES Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score IESC Industry Median
Price/Sales 13 0.37 0.73
Price/Earnings 65 23.3 21.0
EV/EBITDA 44 8.1 9.0
Shareholder Yield 30 1.6% (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 63 2.21 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.8

IES Holdings, Inc. designs and installs integrated electrical and technology systems and provides infrastructure products and services to various end-markets. The Company's Communications segment provides technology infrastructure services, including the design, build, and maintenance of the communications infrastructure within data centers for co-location and managed hosting customers. Its Residential segment offers electrical installation services for single-family housing and multi-family apartment complexes, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing installation services in certain markets. Its Infrastructure Solutions segment provides electro-mechanical solutions for industrial operations, including apparatus repair and custom-engineered products. Its Commercial & Industrial segment offers electrical and mechanical design, construction, and maintenance services to the commercial and industrial markets in certain areas of expertise.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

IES Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

IES Holdings Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 23.3 compared to the industry median at 21.0. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes IES Holdings Inc less attractive for value investors.

IES Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make IES Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.06.

You can read more about IES Holdings Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Limbach Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score LMB Industry Median
Price/Sales 8 0.26 0.73
Price/Earnings 53 17.1 21.0
EV/EBITDA 17 4.1 9.0
Shareholder Yield 62 (1.7%) (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 41 1.32 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow 28 8.6 20.8

Limbach Holdings, Inc. is an integrated building systems solutions firm. The Company is focused on the design, modular prefabrication, installation, management and maintenance of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC), mechanical, electrical, plumbing and controls systems. The Company operates through two segments: General Contractor Relationships (GCR) and Owner Direct Relationships (ODR). The Company’s GCR segment manages new construction or renovation projects that involve HVAC, plumbing or electrical services awarded to the Company by general contractors or construction managers. The ODR segment provides maintenance or service on HVAC, plumbing or electrical systems, building controls and specialty contracting projects direct to, or assigned by, building owners or property managers. The Company operates in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwestern regions of the United States.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Limbach Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 76, which is considered to be undervalued.

Limbach Holdings Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 17.1 compared to the industry median at 21.0. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Limbach Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors.

Limbach Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Limbach Holdings Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.06.

You can read more about Limbach Holdings Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Primoris Services Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PRIM Industry Median
Price/Sales 11 0.33 0.73
Price/Earnings 34 10.9 21.0
EV/EBITDA 43 7.9 9.0
Shareholder Yield 29 2.1% (0.7%)
Price/Book Value 33 1.22 2.06
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.8

Primoris Services Corporation is a provider of specialty contracting services. The Company offers specialty construction services, fabrication, maintenance, replacement, procurement, and engineering services through its three segments: Utilities Segment, Energy/Renewables and Pipeline Services Segment. The Utilities Segment offers services, including the installation and maintenance of new and existing natural gas distribution systems, electric utility distribution and transmission systems, and communications systems. The Energy/Renewables Segment offers services, such as engineering, procurement, and construction, retrofits, highway and bridge construction, demolition, site work, soil stabilization, mass excavation, flood control, upgrades, repairs, outages, and maintenance services. The Pipeline Segment offers services, which includes pipeline construction and maintenance, pipeline facility and integrity services, installation of compressor and pump stations, and metering facilities.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Primoris Services Corp has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

Primoris Services Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 10.9 compared to the industry median at 21.0. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Primoris Services Corp more attractive for value investors.

Primoris Services Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Primoris Services Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.06.

You can read more about Primoris Services Corp’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Learn More About A+ Investor

Other Construction & Engineering Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Construction & Engineering stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 6 Best Construction & Engineering Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Concrete Pumping Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Baran Group Ltd (USA) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Forestar Group Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • IES Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Limbach Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Primoris Services Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 undervalued stocks in the Construction & Engineering industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

Additional Resources About Construction & Engineering Stocks

Want to learn more about Construction & Engineering stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



Find New Stock Opportunities With Included With AAII Platinum
Est Rev: Up 5% Screen: 21.7% Compared to S&P 500
at only 6.9%

Since Inception. Data as of 12/31/2024.




Try AAII Platinum and get full access to
769.3% Stock Superstars Portfolio Total Return Since Inception
Compare to:
710.3% iShare DOW Jones
U.S. Index ETF (IYY)

SSR Group 3 O'Shaughnessy portfolio has a 411.2% gain since inception performance compared to IYY at only 119.1%% Performance as of 11/29/24.

Get your free copy of our special report analyzing the tech stocks most likely to outperform the market.

Download the FREE Report Here:

BECOME A MEMBER FOR ONLY $2

Get access to powerful investment discovery tools and a wealth of investment education to help you achieve your financial goals.