Wall Street likes these infrastructure stocks a lot as Washington gets set to give sector a boost

Published Mon, Aug 2 202111:31 AM EDTUpdated Mon, Aug 2 202112:00 PM EDT

Lawmakers in Washington are getting closer to passing a sweeping infrastructure package, which could give a boost to construction and other related stocks. Here are some of Wall Street's favorite plays. The Senate on Sunday finalized the text of an infrastructure package that would pour $550 billion in new spending over five years into projects such as roads, bridges, public transport, broadband, rail, water and airports. The iShares U.S. infrastructure ETF , a broader way to play the trend, edged higher on Monday amid the news. CNBC Pro looked at the members of the iShares U.S. infrastructure ETF and identified the shares with at least 20% upside implied by the stock's average 12-month price target. Out of that pool, we identified the names that at least 70% of analysts say to buy, with a minimum of four analysts covering the stock. Take a look at the names in our screen, which used data from FactSet. (Source: FactSet. As of Aug. 2, 2021, premarket.) JPMorgan named Steel Dynamics a top pick in the North American steel sector in June. Analysts on average think the stock can run 24.1% higher in the next 12 months. "We believe STLD is one of the highest quality mini-mill steel producers in the U.S., and the timing of the company's Texas steel mill, which has among the most advanced capabilities in the world for an [electric arc furnace], could not be more ideal," JPMorgan's Michael Glick said. Credit Suisse called Quanta Services a top construction and energy pick. Out of the 15 Wall Street analysts covering the stock, 70.6% say to buy the stock. "As we sit today, the [Quanta] portfolio is very well-positioned to benefit from higher spend in new verticals of infrastructure like utility grid modernization, power grid hardening, renewables integration, electrification/electric vehicles, and telecom/5G," Credit Suisse's Jamie Cook said in a June note. RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage of Sunnova Energy in July with an outperform rating. The stock is expected to rally 41.7% in the next 12 months, according to Wall Street's average price target. "NOVA is a leader in the growing US residential rooftop solar market with ~4-5% share based on our estimates, but is capturing a larger portion of the market's growth," RBC Capital Elvira Scotto said. Other names on CNBC PRO's screen include Builders FirstSource , Oshkosh and Avient . —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, center, speaks during a news conference in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.

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