The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Standex (NYSE: SXI) and the rest of the gas and liquid handling stocks fared in Q4.
Gas and liquid handling companies possess the technical know-how and specialized equipment to handle valuable (and sometimes dangerous) substances. Lately, water conservation and carbon capture–which requires hydrogen and other gasses as well as specialized infrastructure–have been trending up, creating new demand for products such as filters, pumps, and valves. On the other hand, gas and liquid handling companies are at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending and interest rates, for example, can greatly impact the industrial production that drives demand for these companies’ offerings.
The 12 gas and liquid handling stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1%.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 11% since the latest earnings results.
Standex (NYSE: SXI)
Holding over 500 patents globally, Standex (NYSE: SXI) is a manufacturer and distributor of industrial components for various sectors.
Standex reported revenues of $189.8 million, up 6.4% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Commenting on the quarter's results, President and Chief Executive Officer David Dunbar said, "Following solid operational performance in the fiscal first quarter, we delivered the highest sales since the divestment of the Refrigeration business in April 2020 and record adjusted operating margin in the fiscal second quarter. These improvements reflected solid operational performance from core businesses and contribution from the recent Amran/Narayan acquisition. Completed in the quarter, this was the largest acquisition in the history of the Company and its sales exceeded our expectations. The continued strength of the electrical grid end market positions us well for continued growth and margin improvement in the second half of fiscal 2025. In the fiscal second quarter, we achieved adjusted gross margin of approximately 40.9% and adjusted operating margin of 18.7%, while continuing to support our growth initiatives."
The stock is down 6.7% since reporting and currently trades at $173.92.
Is now the time to buy Standex? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q4: SPX Technologies (NYSE: SPXC)
SPX Technologies (NYSE: SPXC) is an industrial conglomerate catering to the energy, manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace sectors.
SPX Technologies reported revenues of $533.7 million, up 13.7% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA and organic revenue estimates.
SPX Technologies achieved the fastest revenue growth among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 3.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $131.95.
Is now the time to buy SPX Technologies? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Graco (NYSE: GGG)
Founded in 1926, Graco (NYSE: GGG) is an industrial company specializing in the development and manufacturing of fluid-handling systems and products.
Graco reported revenues of $548.7 million, down 3.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
As expected, the stock is down 3.6% since the results and currently trades at $82.95.
Read our full analysis of Graco’s results here.
IDEX (NYSE: IEX)
Founded in 1988, IDEX (NYSE: IEX) is a global manufacturer specializing in highly engineered products such as pumps, flow meters, and fluidics systems for various industries.
IDEX reported revenues of $862.9 million, up 9.4% year on year. This result came in 0.6% below analysts' expectations. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also produced EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The stock is down 18.1% since reporting and currently trades at $178.83.
Read our full, actionable report on IDEX here, it’s free.
Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR)
Started with the invention of the steam drill, Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR) provides mission-critical air, gas, liquid, and solid flow creation solutions.
Ingersoll Rand reported revenues of $1.90 billion, up 4.2% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations. Zooming out, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ organic revenue estimates.
The stock is down 12.6% since reporting and currently trades at $80.95.
Read our full, actionable report on Ingersoll Rand here, it’s free.
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