Only partly. In a selected comparison updated October 7, 2026, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) was up 84.07% year to date (YTD), trailing Comfort Systems USA (FIX) but outpacing EMCOR Group (EME) and Quanta Services (PWR). That does not establish that construction stocks as a whole are lagging STRL: “construction stocks” has no single defined universe in these figures, and the three companies are adjacent infrastructure and construction-service peers, not a comprehensive sector benchmark.
How STRL compares with three infrastructure peers
PortfoliosLab’s comparisons report total returns, including dividends when applicable. The figures below are a dated snapshot updated October 7, 2026; returns can change each trading day.
| Company | Reported YTD return | Compared with STRL |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) | +84.07% | Reference |
| Comfort Systems USA (FIX) | +95.07% | Outperformed STRL by 11.00 percentage points |
| EMCOR Group (EME) | +34.99% | Trailed STRL by 49.08 percentage points |
| Quanta Services (PWR) | +70.62% | Trailed STRL by 13.45 percentage points |
Sources: PortfoliosLab STRL vs. FIX, PortfoliosLab EME vs. STRL, and PortfoliosLab STRL vs. PWR. The percentage-point differences are arithmetic comparisons of the reported returns.
What “construction stocks” means here
Sterling operates in E-Infrastructure, Transportation, and Building Solutions. FIX, EME, and PWR have overlapping but different exposures to infrastructure, construction, and related services; they are not interchangeable businesses or a complete definition of the construction sector. The peer set therefore answers a narrower question: how STRL performed against these three selected companies on the same reported YTD measure.
#1 Best Overall
The available figures do not establish an official, comprehensive construction-sector return for October 7, 2026. It would be misleading to turn this small peer comparison into a claim about every construction stock or a sector index. A separate stock-data page also reports STRL’s last close on file as $563.69 on October 6, 2026, and the same +84.07% YTD return; that is a secondary cross-check, not an official exchange-calculated price-series result (StockVS STRL data).
Stock performance is not the same as company performance
Sterling’s latest cited operating update provides business context, but it does not explain or predict the share return by itself. In its Q2 2026 release, the company reported $1.17 billion in quarterly revenue, up 90% year over year, and $155.8 million in net income. It also reported $328 million of operating cash flow for the six months ended June 30, 2026, and $4.33 billion of signed backlog at June 30. The release separately gives combined backlog including unsigned awards, so the signed-backlog figure should not be read as that broader measure.
Rank #2
CEO Joe Cutillo described demand in the company’s August 3, 2026 release as strong, citing bidding and award activity and continued expansion of multi-year visibility. That is management’s characterization, not an independent measure of demand or evidence of future stock returns. Backlog and quarterly results likewise do not determine what a share will return next. See the official Q2 2026 earnings release for the company’s reported results and definitions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep the 2025 comparison separate
Sterling’s investor overview says STRL’s share price rose 82% in 2025, compared with 16% for the S&P 500. Those are company-reported figures for the prior calendar year, not 2026 YTD returns or a comparison with construction peers (Sterling investor overview).
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
- Used Book in Good Condition
How to interpret the comparison
- For this selected group: STRL is behind FIX and ahead of EME and PWR in the October 7 snapshot.
- For the broader construction sector: these figures are insufficient to say whether the sector as a whole is ahead of or behind STRL.
- For an investment decision: compare companies’ business mix, financial results, valuation, and risks as well as returns. A strong past YTD figure, revenue growth, or backlog is not a forecast.
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