Looking back on gas and liquid handling stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR) and its peers.

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 13% since the latest earnings results.

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, but overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ organic revenue estimates.

“I am proud of our global team’s strong execution and performance, driven by IRX, as we delivered double-digit earnings growth and strong free cash flow margin in 2024,” said Vicente Reynal, chairman and chief executive officer of Ingersoll Rand.

The stock is down 14.5% since reporting and currently trades at $79.15.

Is now the time to buy Ingersoll Rand? 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 a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA and organic revenue estimates.

SPX Technologies scored 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 6.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $127.93.

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 $82.98.

Read our full analysis of Graco’s results here.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE: PH)

Founded in 1917, Parker Hannifin (NYSE: PH) is a manufacturer of motion and control systems for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets.

Parker-Hannifin reported revenues of $4.74 billion, down 1.6% year on year. This print came in 1.1% below analysts' expectations. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is down 10.7% since reporting and currently trades at $594.

Read our full, actionable report on Parker-Hannifin here, it’s free.

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 missed analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. It was a slower quarter as it also recorded EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

The stock is down 17.5% since reporting and currently trades at $180.09.

Read our full, actionable report on IDEX here, it’s free.

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