Which has the lower trailing P/E, FSTR or IA?

IA has the lower trailing P/E: FSTR trades at 35.15 and IA at 18.32. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Is FSTR or IA more profitable?

IA runs the higher net margin — FSTR at 2.04% versus IA at 20.50%.

How have FSTR and IA total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, FSTR delivered 11.50% and IA delivered 19.77% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

L.B. Foster Company (FSTR) vs Innovative Aerosystems, Inc. (IA)

A side-by-side comparison of L.B. Foster Company and Innovative Aerosystems, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of October 6, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

FSTR

L.B. Foster Company

$386M

$36.91IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Innovative Aerosystems, Inc.

$344M

$19.23IndustrialsDelayed quote: Oct 6, 2026, 9:59 AM EDT

Total return — FSTR vs IA

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

FSTR +196.3% (+11.5%/yr)IA +507.1% (+19.8%/yr)IA compounded faster over this window

FSTR IA

FSTR vs IA: by the numbers

•FSTR is the larger company ($386M vs $344M market cap).
•IA trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (18.32 vs 35.15 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•IA converts more revenue to profit (20.50% vs 2.04% net margin).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	FSTR	IA
P/E ratio	35.15	18.32
Forward P/E	22.78	17.56
P/S ratio	0.69	3.70
P/B ratio	2.17	4.46
EV / EBITDA	12.55	13.09
FCF yield	10.78%	4.15%

Profitability

Metric	FSTR	IA
Gross margin	21.36%	54.94%
Operating margin	4.36%	27.37%
Net margin	2.04%	20.50%
ROE	6.39%	24.73%
ROIC	5.30%	14.98%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	FSTR	IA
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	2.05%	N/A
EPS CAGR (5Y)	0.28%	N/A
FCF CAGR (5Y)	29.02%	N/A
Total return CAGR (5Y)	18.72%	22.87%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, FSTR or IA?: IA has the lower trailing P/E: FSTR trades at 35.15 and IA at 18.32. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Is FSTR or IA more profitable?: IA runs the higher net margin — FSTR at 2.04% versus IA at 20.50%.
How have FSTR and IA total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, FSTR delivered 11.50% and IA delivered 19.77% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full FSTR analysis Full IA analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

L.B. Foster P/E ratio Innovative Aerosystems P/E ratio L.B. Foster ROE Innovative Aerosystems ROE L.B. Foster operating margin Innovative Aerosystems operating margin L.B. Foster revenue growth Innovative Aerosystems revenue growth L.B. Foster free cash flow Innovative Aerosystems free cash flow

L.B. Foster & Innovative Aerosystems appear in these rankings

Highest FCF Yield Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified October 6, 2026.