The takeaway
LB Foster Company shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+2.7%) and softest in March (−0.3%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 50% of years, averaging +1.9% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
LB Foster Company's most dependable month has been January, higher in 8 of 10 years; March has been its least reliable, up just 50% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+2.9 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−1.4 pts).
“vs S&P” is LB Foster Company’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating LB Foster Company’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, January has closed higher 100% of the time versus 80% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) January return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. January stands out, higher in 8 of 10 Januaries, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+2.7%) and median (+4.1%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 8.7% spread). Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: January has cleared the S&P 500 by +2.9 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages January only about 53% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — September–February forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. At the other end of the calendar, March is the year's quietest corner, essentially flat on average, and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in October and March. Its roughest month on record was a −40.4% May in 2016 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
January has now closed higher 5 years running. If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Januaries run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: January aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt. With returns that swing hard year to year, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the stock's best month (January), its worst (March), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +2.7%) has run well ahead of its worst (March, −0.3%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +2.7% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −0.3% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade