Now, gather ’round, and let me tell you a tale. A feller, five years back, might’ve had a thousand dollars to his name – a tidy sum, mind you, though not enough to buy a decent steamboat. If he’d been possessed of a bit of luck, or perhaps a reckless streak, and sunk that sum into the stock of this here Fluor company – yes, Fluor (FLR +1.31%) – why, he’d be sitting pretty today. A grand total of $2,574, to be exact. That’s a rise of twenty and eight tenths percent each year, on average. A handsome return, I grant you, though it does make a man wonder if he’s been cheated out of even more elsewhere.
Compared to that, putting the same thousand dollars into one of those low-fee S&P 500 index funds would’ve yielded a respectable $1,822, a yearly gain of twelve and eight tenths percent. Solid enough, but lacking the sort of outlandish fortune that sets tongues wagging and neighbors envious. It’s enough to make a man suspect that these stock market fellers are playing a game with loaded dice.
But here’s the rub. Looking backwards is a pastime for historians and those who enjoy regretting missed opportunities. A more sensible question, if one is to be asked at all, is whether investing in this Fluor company now is a path to prosperity. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?
First, let’s glance at their past performance, a history as twisty as a Mississippi River bend:
| Time period | Fluor |
|---|---|
| Past 3 years | 8.02% |
| Past 5 years | 20.43% |
| Past 10 years | 1.13% |
| Past 15 years | (2.25%) |
As you can plainly see, Fluor’s returns are about as predictable as a mule in a hailstorm. Not entirely surprising, mind you, considering their fortunes are tied to the whims of the economy. It’s a cyclical business, they say – does well when folks are flush with cash and building things, and suffers when times are lean. Lately, they’ve been feeling the pressure, what with all the talk of these artificial intelligence contraptions potentially rendering their work obsolete. Though, bless their hearts, they’ve got a backlog of orders amounting to $25.5 billion, which is a considerable pile of promises. They’re also trying to avoid fixed-price contracts, which, as any sensible man knows, is just a fancy way of saying they’re trying to avoid getting cheated.
Now, here’s a curious turn of events. Fluor held a majority stake in a nuclear start-up called NuScale Power – a venture that seemed promising, given the increasing demand for power to fuel these newfangled data centers and their artificial intelligences. But they’re shedding that stake, for billions of dollars, no less. Bolsters the balance sheet, they say. A fine thing, perhaps, but it’s like selling the plow to buy a silk hat – looks good, but doesn’t necessarily put bread on the table.
The stock is worth considering, I suppose, if a feller has a taste for risk and a fondness for gambles. But it doesn’t strike me as one of those growth stocks that’ll make you rich overnight, nor one of those value stocks that’ll provide a steady, reliable income. It’s just…a stock. And in my experience, most stocks are best left to those who enjoy the thrill of the chase and don’t mind losing a few dollars along the way.
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2026-02-21 16:42