Will Modular CapEx and M&A Keep Sterling in Growth Mode?

Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL is actively investing in enhancing its modular construction capabilities and inorganic business initiatives. The current market demand is actively shifting toward data center buildouts, AI infrastructure and utility grid modernization, which is proving favorable for the company’s prospects in the long term. Amid this robust market trend, STRL is engaging in expanding its modular fabrication capacity, being optimistic about the scalable and margin-accretive characteristics of such mission-critical projects.Through the E-Infrastructure Solutions segment, Sterling operates the business for modular buildings and data centers. Backed by the robust market trends, the E-Infrastructure segment’s (51% of first-quarter 2025 revenues) backlog grew 27% year over year to $1.2 billion as of the first quarter of 2025, with data center-related work accounting for more than 65%.Besides modular expenditures, Sterling also actively focuses on making strategic investments in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). It believes that bolt-on acquisitions and scalable partnerships are likely to boost its business capabilities and market share, thus offering it a competitive advantage over its peers. Recently, on June 17, 2025, STRL announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire CEC Facilities Group, LLC for $505 million, under its E-Infrastructure Solutions segment. CEC Facilities is a non-union electrical contractor with operations focused on fast-growing markets such as data centers, semiconductors and manufacturing, based in Texas. The combined business is expected to benefit from cross-selling opportunities and a broader customer base, thus strengthening Sterling’s market reach across Texas and other key regions.For 2025, STRL expects capital expenditures to be between $70 million and $80 million, up from $70.8 million in 2024. Thus, with the in-house strategies combined with the favorable market fundamentals, the company is expected to boost its revenue visibility and profit structure in the upcoming period.STRL Stock’s Price Performance vs. Other Market PlayersShares of this Texas-based infrastructure services provider have surged 69% in the past three months, significantly outperforming the Zacks Engineering - R and D Services industry, the broader Zacks Construction sector and the S&P 500 index.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchMoreover, firms like Quanta Services, Inc. PWR and EMCOR Group, Inc. EME offer substantial competition to Sterling in the public infrastructure field, especially across mission-critical infrastructure solutions. Although the market trends are favoring these companies, they are falling behind in realizing benefits from the robust fundamentals compared with STRL. In the past three months, shares of Quanta Services and EMCOR have gained 40.2% and 41.1%, respectively.Sterling’s Valuation TrendSterling stock is currently trading at a premium compared with the industry peers, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.78, as evidenced by the chart below. The overvaluation of the stock compared with its industry peers indicates its strong potential in the market, given the favorable trends backing it up.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchNotably, Quanta Services and EMCOR are currently trading at a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 36.62 and 23.48, respectively.EPS Trend of STRLFor 2025 and 2026, STRL’s earnings estimates have remained unchanged over the past 60 days at $8.61 and $9.48 per share, respectively. However, the estimated figures reflect 41.2% and 10.1% year-over-year growth, respectively.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow.One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.See This Stock Now for Free >>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 Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR): Free Stock Analysis Report EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL): 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