Fluor Streamlines Portfolio With $122M Zhuhai Yard Sale

Fluor Corporation FLR has taken another step in reshaping its portfolio. On Friday, the company announced an agreement to divest its stake in the Zhuhai fabrication yard in China’s Guangdong province to Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. (“COOEC”), generating approximately $122 million (¥859 million) in proceeds.Following the news, Fluor shares declined 0.9% on Friday.Fluor’s Focus on Shedding a Non-Core AssetThe transaction underscores Fluor’s disciplined capital allocation strategy. The divestiture immediately enhances liquidity, providing incremental cash that can be redeployed toward higher-return opportunities, debt reduction or balance-sheet resilience. Reducing capital tied up in asset-heavy, geographically complex operations also lowers execution risk and ongoing overhead, a key consideration for investors focused on margin stability and free cash flow generation.Divesting the Zhuhai yard allows Fluor to sharpen its portfolio focus and redeploy capital toward higher-return opportunities, including investments such as NuScale. The move also enables the company to reallocate resources to higher-growth areas within its Urban Solutions, Energy Solutions and Mission Solutions segments.During the third-quarter earnings call, management emphasized Fluor’s continued transition to an asset-light operating model supported by a majority reimbursable backlog, a strategy designed to reduce risk and support sustainable long-term growth. The company expects to use the approximately $122 million in proceeds from the Zhuhai yard divestment to strengthen liquidity and support capital allocation priorities, including balance sheet improvement and shareholder returns. The transaction aligns with Fluor’s broader strategy to enhance returns on invested capital while preserving flexibility to pursue growth in markets where it holds a competitive advantage.Importantly, Fluor retains strategic flexibility without the burden of ownership. Following the transaction, COOEC will own 100% of the Zhuhai yard, which will remain available, alongside other COOEC facilities, to support fabrication requirements for future Fluor projects. This asset-light access model allows Fluor to participate in large, technically demanding projects while avoiding the fixed costs and operational risks associated with running fabrication yards.FLR's Share Price PerformanceFLR stock has declined 7% in the past three months compared with the Zacks Engineering - R and D Services industry’s 5.3% fall.Although the company’s focus on the “Building a Better Future” strategy and benefits from new contract wins are boding well, the project delays, especially in the Energy Solutions segment, and ongoing market headwinds, including tariffs, inflation and foreign exchange risks, are also weighing heavily on its growth prospects.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFLR’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksCurrently, Fluor carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some top-ranked stocks from the Construction sector are:Everus Construction Group ECG presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 51.8%, on average. ECG stock has jumped 46.6% in the past six months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ECG’s 2026 sales and EPS indicates growth of 7.4% and 5.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1 at present. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14%, on average. Sterling Infrastructure stock has climbed 38.7% in the past six months.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRL’s 2026 sales and EPS indicates growth of 19.1% and 14.6%, respectively, from the prior-year levels.Great Lakes Dredge & Dock GLDD sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 65.5%, on average. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock stock has gained 11.2% in the past six months.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GLDD’s 2026 sales indicates growth of 4.8%, while EPS indicates a decline of 0.2% from the prior-year levels.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the months ahead. They includeStock #1: A Disruptive Force with Notable Growth and ResilienceStock #2: Bullish Signs Signaling to Buy the DipStock #3: One of the Most Compelling Investments in the MarketStock #4: Leader In a Red-Hot Industry Poised for GrowthStock #5: Modern Omni-Channel Platform Coiled to SpringMost of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +171%, +209% and +232%.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fluor Corporation (FLR): Free Stock Analysis Report Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL): Free Stock Analysis Report Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD): Free Stock Analysis Report Everus Construction Group, Inc. (ECG): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks