Sterling Construction Company Inc. (NASDAQ: STRL) experienced a significant pre-market surge of 7.19% on Thursday, continuing positive momentum from the previous session.

The movement follows the company's release of its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, which significantly exceeded analyst expectations. Sterling Construction reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $3.08 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by 38.2%. Quarterly sales reached $755.6 million, surpassing estimates of $640.27 million by 18.0% and representing a 51.5% increase from the same period last year.

Investor sentiment was further bolstered by the company's optimistic guidance for fiscal year 2026, forecasting revenue between $3.05 billion and $3.20 billion and adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $13.45 to $14.05. The company's backlog also showed robust growth, increasing 78% to $3.01 billion at the end of 2025, indicating strong future business visibility.