If You'd Invested $1,000 in Fluor Stock (FLR) 5 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today (It's Probably More Than You Expected)

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • Fluor's business is quite cyclical.

  • Some worry that AI will disrupt its business.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Fluor ›

Let's start with the big question, and its answer: If you'd invested $1,000 in Fluor (NYSE: FLR) stock five years ago, what would it be worth today? The answer is $2,574. Let's put that in context. It represents an average annual gain of 20.8%. And over the period, in contrast, $1,000 invested in a low-fee S&P 500 index fund would have gotten you to $1,822 -- a still solid average annual gain of 12.8%.

A better question, though, would look forward instead of backward: Might it be smart to invest in the diversified construction and engineering company now? Let's see.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »

Someone is seated and smiling, petting a dog.

Image source: Getty Images.

First, here's a look at its performance in years past:

Time period

Fluor

Past 3 years

8.02%

Past 5 years

20.43%

Past 10 years

1.13%

Past 15 years

(2.25%)

Source: Data from Morningstar.com as of Feb. 13, 2026.

As you can see, Fluor's returns have been lumpy, which is not entirely surprising given that its fortunes are tied to the economic environment. As a cyclical business, it does well mainly when the economy is doing well, with bullish customers placing orders. It's been under pressure lately, in part due to fears about what artificial intelligence (AI) might do to its business. On the plus side, though, Fluor has a robust backlog of orders -- $25.5 billion worth, per its recent fourth-quarter report. It has also been shifting away from fixed-price contracts, which reduces its risks.

Interestingly, Fluor held a majority stake in the nuclear start-up NuScale Power -- which seemed a good thing, as nuclear power is being increasingly used to further AI processing in data centers. But Fluor is shedding that stake -- for billions of dollars. That will bolster its balance sheet, but potentially at the cost of future profits lost.

The stock is certainly worth considering, but it doesn't strike me as one of the most promising growth stocks or the most appealing value stocks.

Should you buy stock in Fluor right now?

Before you buy stock in Fluor, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Fluor wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $424,262!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,163,635!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 904% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 194% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of February 21, 2026.

Selena Maranjian has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends NuScale Power. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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