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Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

HVAC and Water Systems Stocks Q4 Highlights: Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ:NWPX)

NWPX Cover Image

Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q4 behind us, let’s have a look at Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ: NWPX) and its peers.

Many HVAC and water systems companies sell essential, non-discretionary infrastructure for buildings. Since the useful lives of these water heaters and vents are fairly standard, these companies have a portion of predictable replacement revenue. In the last decade, trends in energy efficiency and clean water are driving innovation that is leading to incremental demand. On the other hand, new installations for these companies are at the whim of residential and commercial construction volumes, which tend to be cyclical and can be impacted heavily by economic factors such as interest rates.

The 9 hvac and water systems stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 10.9% since the latest earnings results.

Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ: NWPX)

Playing a large role in the Integrated Pipeline (IPL) project in Texas to deliver ~350 million gallons of water per day, Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ: NWPX) is a manufacturer of pipeline systems for water infrastructure.

Northwest Pipe reported revenues of $119.6 million, up 8.6% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Northwest Pipe Total Revenue

The stock is down 15.7% since reporting and currently trades at $40.48.

Read our full report on Northwest Pipe here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Lennox (NYSE: LII)

Based in Texas and founded over a century ago, Lennox (NYSE: LII) is a climate control solutions company offering heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) goods.

Lennox reported revenues of $1.35 billion, up 16.5% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 8.9%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ organic revenue estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Lennox Total Revenue

Lennox scored the biggest analyst estimates beat 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 14.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $567.23.

Is now the time to buy Lennox? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: AAON (NASDAQ: AAON)

Backed by two million square feet of lab testing space, AAON (NASDAQ: AAON) makes heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment for different types of buildings.

AAON reported revenues of $297.7 million, down 2.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 7.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

AAON delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 19.6% since the results and currently trades at $82.06.

Read our full analysis of AAON’s results here.

A. O. Smith (NYSE: AOS)

Credited with the invention of the glass-lined water heater, A.O. Smith (NYSE: AOS) manufactures water heating and treatment products for various industries.

A. O. Smith reported revenues of $912.4 million, down 7.7% year on year. This print came in 4.7% below analysts' expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it also logged full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

A. O. Smith had the slowest revenue growth and weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is down 3% since reporting and currently trades at $67.11.

Read our full, actionable report on A. O. Smith here, it’s free.

CSW (NASDAQ: CSWI)

With over two centuries of combined operations manufacturing and supplying, CSW (NASDAQ: CSWI) offers special chemicals, coatings, sealants, and lubricants for various industries.

CSW reported revenues of $193.6 million, up 10.7% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and EBITDA in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 14.5% since reporting and currently trades at $294.96.

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


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